“…by
keeping it holy.” {Exodus 20:8}
I
felt a slight nudge in my heart to write on the Day of Rest…. I do not recall
ever hearing a message on The Sabbath outside of 7th Heaven but
guess what the sermon was about on Sunday? You got it. Just that. So, I shall share
a little summary of what Pastor Peter
Haas spoke on and then make it a little more personal.
*God
first gave this commandment to the Israelite slaves- obviously no concept of rest! He even made it mandatory
during “the seasons of harvest and plowing”-talk about a busy time that could
impact their family, finances, etc! [Ex 34:21]
*Israelites
still strongly observe this day (they don’t even flip a light switch!) and are
often taught “If you break the Sabbath, you are more likely to break the rest
of the laws.” It has been proven time and again that the more exhausted we are,
the more impaired our judgment is, the higher our temptation, and the more
likely we are to give in. [Those in addiction recovery are taught that evenings
are “dangerous” for this very reason!] What if you are not operating at
full-capacity as the Lord intended you to because you never rest?
*He
works on our behalf, even when we are not working. American culture places us
in the mindset that “If I don’t, it won’t.” But the Lord is more than capable.
Most things in life we have no control over, but He controls all and desires us
to rest. He never sleeps and is always working on our behalf. The saying goes: “If
he [satan] can’t get you bad, he’ll get you busy.” What more could he want than
us to be too tired to discern or follow the will of God?
And
now for my story: Towards the end of
high school, I vividly remember someone telling me during a prayer time that
his brother, who was in school on his way to becoming a doctor, had felt a call
to honor this restful day every Sunday by doing no homework. It was a passing
statement, but my first thought was, “I have no future plans of becoming a
doctor. I may have a lot of homework but will never as much as him. If someone
in med school can do this, so can I.” And thus, I began my journey of
no-homework Sundays and never taking a job that would require me to work on this
special day (for as long as possible- I know that the reality of shift work is
not so) for the Lord and me.
I
tell you all of this not as your conscience, but to say that it is one of the
most important and worthwhile decisions
I have ever made! Sundays used to be my main study days. My busyness the
following year after making this commitment escalated astronomically. But it
was such an amazing feeling to know that I “couldn’t” do homework that day- no
matter what! I had to rest! I have
realized personally why the Lord created this 24-hour period! Because He knows
that His children need it! And boy,
did I ever! It has also helped me to continually surrender up my perfectionist
ways and give the Lord the glory for whatever happens. He must get the glory,
because with one less day it is way harder to accomplish anything without his
ever-present strength!
There
is no pressure to join me. Many things were no longer required when Jesus
Christ came so I would not call it a sin (though it could lead to such things),
but I think God made the law for our own good. It does not have to
legalistically be a Sunday (I just like it because I get to go to church and
focus my day on the Lord and naturally do not have classes)! This is a personal
decision! But I challenge you. If the Lord is nudging on your heart right now:
Listen. Give it a try. I promise you will not regret it! I mean, hey! It’s mandatory relaxation! Take it or leave
it…:)
Want
to hear more? Check out the sermon or read up on it! His Word has great things
to say!
Resources:
There is no need to spend a lot of money- just do something that allows you to enjoy each other's company. Go on a picnic, volunteer, set aside time just to talk about your dreams and desires (leave work, children, and other family obligations for another time)...
