Ahhhh, sabbath. . .

God convicted me about something this summer.--I have dishonored Him by not keeping the Sabbath. Over the years, I have used my Christian freedom as an excuse to do many things on the Sabbath--to catch up on a little work (I do work for a church, so that's okay isn't it?), to catch up on laundry, to go grocery shopping, to clean my home, etc. By doing this, and by feeling that I needed just one more day to get all the to-do's in, I forgot that God wants me to stop and rest. By resting, I humbly recognize that I cannot do it all, that ultimately, my to-do's and the great to-do's of the universe are in His hands, not mine. By resting, I enjoy God's gracious goodness to me--check out Psalm 127--God grants sleep to those He loves. By resting, I acknowledge my dependence on Him. By resting, I remove at least a few of the daily distractions and focus on enjoying and worshiping Him in a special way on the Sabbath.

What does my Sabbath look like? It's a work in progress (or should I say, a rest in progress). I am working toward finishing everything that's necessary within my 6 days so that I don't have to shop or clean or do any major, usual chores on Sunday. I also try to avoid errands. I am working toward this. . .I'm not there yet. For instance, my menu planning this week wasn't so great, so I did have to run to the store for a couple items for dinner. Currently, I do cook on Sundays, just like normal, and I clean up the meal messes.

Of course, Sabbath is not primarily about what I don't do. My ultimate goal is to make Sunday a time of rest and celebration for me and the girls. Sunday should be the most anticipated day of the week. Right now, I use it to spend extended time in Bible-reading, prayer and journaling (while the kids are resting after lunch). I am currently brainstorming creative ideas for the girls to make Sunday fun and worshipful. Right now, we really talk up going to church and we stop by Sonic on the way for a special treat. Every good gift is from God, even Sonic Diet Cokes. Sunday is a day for me to slow down and wait on the Lord.

I am eagerly anticipating what God will do with our Sabbaths.