An idle mind is the devil’s playground.

Have you heard that proverb before? It’s not in the bible, but it’s quite popular. I think it’s mostly popular for mothers who want their children to clean their rooms. I’ve always thought about this little proverb and how true it may or may not be.

This proverb can be dangerous. It can lead people to keep themselves busy in order to avoid the devil. However, I always wondered why everyone assumed that an idle mind was a playground for the devil and couldn’t be for God. I think that God has just as much right to play. Isn’t that why he commanded Sabbath? God actually orders his people to stop and let their mind idle so they can rest and he can play. I think sometimes the devil can use busyness as a way to keep God out of a person’s mind. Because as long as we keep moving, we won’t stop to listen to the Spirit and the sin in our hearts will simply build up without any conviction, confession, or repentance. You can’t know a piece of art without stopping to observe it. The same goes with the heart. It is essential that we remember the Sabbath; that we stop our busyness; that we invite God to play.

I think there’s absolutely truth to this little proverb though. Isn’t the devil prowling like a lion waiting to devour his prey? When someone has no vision, no drive, no hope, no plan, no goal, he gets eaten. He dangles like a worm on a fishing line, asking to be the fish’s next meal. I know this to be true from experience. So many days with no plan end in temptation, sin, and frustration. So what, then, is the balance? How can we let our mind idle so that God can play, but keep the devil out?

God commanded that his people not only remember the Sabbath, but also that they keep it holy. Sabbath apart from holiness is what ends in a snack for Satan. Sabbath, as God commands, is not a day to rest in self-absorbed laziness which leads to death. It is a day to rest in the love and glory of God who gives life.

So, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.