Honoring the Sabbath:

Recently in church we have been going over the Ten Commandments.  Today’s sermon was all over Honoring the Sabbath and keeping it Holy.  It is important to make sure we rest.  This isn’t just because of our physical or mental health.  It is not just because of following God’s example for taking time off, while that is also a part of it.  

There are many reasons to honor the Sabbath.  The Sabbath can serve as a mirror and as a map to show us our relationship with God and how we can continue to grow this relationship.  I say this because we should want to spend time with God.  We have a day set aside to spend a lot of time resting in God’s goodness, spend time not thinking about all the things we usually do such as work, tasks, or other usual obligations.  It is to be completely surrounded by the love of our Father, Jesus Christ. 

For some people, it can be hard to imagine not having a productive day.  However, as my church mentioned, this is because of the culture we are a part of.  We are in a culture where productivity is praised.  Even as my pastor mentioned, there isn’t an award for whoever rests the best.  They are usually awarded for who is the most sacrificing with their time, whoever works the hardest, and/or whoever can accomplish the most.  It is important to work and to work hard, but it is just as important to rest.   

I am not the best at keeping the Sabbath Holy.  I am not very good at relaxing and instead I enjoy being productive.  I am a type A personality for sure.  I enjoy getting a lot of work done, even if it includes writing for this blog.  (I am writing this on a Sunday night, but it is in part because I have these thoughts fresh in my mind).   I would also usually say Sundays are my least favorite days.  I tend to have a case of the “Monday scaries” as some would call it.  I start stressing and thinking about the upcoming week, especially when that week will be very hard or busy.  I can really tend to get overwhelmed on the Sunday before. 

The Sabbath is mentioned a few times throughout the Bible.  Obviously, it is mentioned in the Ten Commandments.  However, it is mentioned in a few other places such as Isaiah 56:2 which says, “Blessed is the man who does this (the Sabbath), and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”  Because again, the Sabbath is working on representing how committed and devoted we are to God and the relationship, making sure to honor the Sabbath helps us avoid the evil sins and decisions we could be making.  It reminds us of who God is, and helps us avoid our many temptations.  

It is important to realize the great benefits that can come from making sure to rest.  When a person is an athlete, and they don’t take time to rest, there is more of a chance of injury and the longer an athlete tries to not rest with the injury, the worse it will get.  This also works with mental health or our overall self.  The longer we go without sleep or rest, the worse off our body will be. Otherwise, the amount of anxiety and depression is more likely to increase and to get worse over time.  Then, of course, sleep is necessary for bodily function as it is recommended to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night for the average person to stay healthy.  

The challenge for this week is to think about the Sabbath. There are ways we can best do this. We can choose to pick a day when we do not have work.  Culturally, our Sabbath day is on Sunday.  This is the day we go to church and the day the majority of people don’t work.  However, if there is a person who does have to work, there are always other options to go to church on Saturday nights in some places and then to take off other days for this opportunity to rest and to enjoy the Sabbath. 

Also, it is important to spend time thinking about how to avoid tasks.  Maybe do your grocery shopping, your meal prep, and your household duties a few different days throughout the week, so you don’t have to spend your Sabbath day doing those chores.  During the time you would be spending doing those items, you can spend that day learning more about Christ and worshipping all He has done for you in your life.  This doesn’t just mean not working a job, but it also can mean limiting the tasks we would usually do.