I know I have made a blog post about taking a Sabbath Day before, but that was before I realized I was not taking a Sabbath.
I have the great opportunity to teach the Sunday School lesson to my young adults group at church. We have been going over a study by Jeff Vanderstelt where we look at different ways to make space for God. I had always thought that making space for God wasn't hard and you don't have to plan for it, but the older I get with more responsibilities I realize that is not true!
We have to be intentional about making space for God. How and what time we do so will be a little different for us all because we all have different responsibilities.
Here is a paragraph from the lesson that really stood out to me:
"Sabbath can be described as deliberate disengagement. We make a choice to leave our normal world to remind ourselves that Jesus is Lord of our lives, our work, and our world. But a Sabbath is also deliberate engagement in the gifts and presence of God. During a Sabbath we observe God's control, work, mystery, grace, and favor by taking time to see them apart from our control, work, and drive. To experience a Sabbath, we plan and observe a day in which we watch God work, hear His voice, and realize His faithfulness."
I tried making Saturday my Sabbath but it didn't work out. Something would come up that I didn't plan on having to do. I started feeling overwhelmed that I was constantly going all the time and not taking a rest.
So I sat down and had a conversation with my mom. I told her what I was feeling and then realized that she was feeling the same as well because she wasn't getting her Sabbath either!
I felt so bad! She had told us before that her Sabbath was Friday from 6pm to Saturday 6 pm, but after a couple of weeks of making sure mom got her rest it was forgotten.
I apologized and told her she would have her Sabbath. I then moved my Sabbath to Sunday. Sunday is the day our family goes grocery shopping for the week after church and I usually accompany my dad. I asked if I could be excused from the grocery trip and if my brother could go instead.
After having this talk I felt like a giant weight came off of my shoulders!
I have really been enjoying my Sabbath now! I get to fellowship and worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ when we go to church in the morning. At home I enjoy mealtime with my family, and then I usually find something that I like to do the rest of the day. I used to think it was selfish for me to do what I enjoyed on the Sabbath. I used to feel that I was to only do things that made me think of God. Now I see that God is working all day on my Sabbath and I take hold of the gift that God has given me. And yes, I give Him thanks for it!
Do you take a Sabbath? Are you making time for God where one day a week you aren't running around working and doing errands, but you take that day of rest?
No matter how deep we are in the Lord, if we don't take our Sabbath rest life will run us down. God has extended a gift of rest so we can recharge for the next week and enjoy the day of seeking His presence.
Be blessed, beloveds!
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Genesis 2:1-3
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11
Comments
Post a Comment