Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.

The line pushes back against a moralized cult of constant productivity. By pairing “idleness” with “sacred,” MacDonald reframes rest as something that can be spiritually legitimate—time set apart for contemplation, receptivity, and the renewal of the inner life rather than mere laziness. The implication is that human worth is not exhausted by output, and that certain goods (prayer, imagination, attention to beauty, humane presence with others) require unhurried time. In a Christian key typical of MacDonald’s thought, “sacred idleness” suggests trusting that grace and growth are not always achieved by effort, and that sometimes the most faithful act is to cease striving.