In photography and art, there is a concept called negative space.

(Click any photo here to find its photographer on Flickr.)

In each of these photographs, the negative space surrounding the subject “makes” the photo, revealing the beauty of the subject.

What we might be tempted to call “emptiness” actually provides context and balance to the image, allowing us to see the subject in a new way.

I’ve been reading some blog posts Justin McRoberts wrote about rest & the Sabbath. In one he says, “…it’s been the discipline of silence/stillness that [has] given meaning and life to the rest, the same way Sabbath gives meaning and shape to all other days of the week.”

Sabbath is like negative space in our lives.  It is not the day when what is meaningful stops; it is the day that imbues our other days with meaning, giving shape and context to our activity.