I find the Holy Spirit wonderfully ridiculous. His timing is perfect and yet outrageous at the same time. I often picture the Trinity with a perpetual grin or smirk knowing what is to come in our lives and how we have need for that exact thing or situation. And the wonder and beauty of it all is that His strange timing of events in our lives is based on this crazy love He has for us that defies logic or sense. I say all this due to my current life situation: The very fact that I am writing this has me shaking my head back and forth with an amusing and wry smile. I think, here is the Lord, knowing full well I am in a very stressful time in my life and He says, “Now write about My day of rest that I have created for you. The gift–the Sabbath, I gave you on my last day of Creation.” And I smile hearing the love in that statement and the wisdom in that gift.
Six months ago I quit a fairly decent job to find a “better fit” as they say. What I found instead is a journey into the talents and gifts God has given me, including those that have laid dormant and those that I myself have put to sleep. In the midst of months of uncertainty coupled with glorious self and spiritual awakenings has been the sweet call of Sabbath and the longing for rest at a time when my world has been turned upside and down and inside out.
I am by no means complaining at the turbulence (which isn’t to say I haven’t and won’t again). But all the uncertainty in my life that has had my head spinning and my heart troubled is the very thing which is propelling me toward this gift–the very gift He gave ME, once “Day 6” was complete: my Sabbath.
But what does the Sabbath really mean? What does it actually look like to have a “day of rest” and is it really possible?
I have asked this question of myself, my God, and one of my pastors over the years. If Monday through Friday is generally reserved as our “work week” with Saturday as a time to socialize or complete our domestic chores, then is Sunday truly our Sabbath? What day of the week are we able to not only open our “seventh day” gift but relish it, enjoy it and simply rest in it? I have found that being a member of a church body comes with many duties, responsibilities, and obligations especially if it is a small church with few members doing the majority of the “work”. So, day 7 becomes just another work day. My place of worship has now become my place of work.
I find that humans feel as though we are of less value when we are not working. Work defines us. It gives our lives meaning and purpose. We become workaholics. We work hard in our companies, homes, churches and communities. We are a people that move effortlessly from one task to another. We feel a sense of pride and accomplishment if our lives are overflowing in busyness. We are taught that to be still or quiet and find rest is for the lazy and the faint of heart.
But then I have to wonder why did God rest? He didn’t have to, “for He is God.” However, He knew we needed it. Just as our bodies need sleep to nourish itself so our spirits need rest in order to energize and renew. I liken the Sabbath to having a spa day for our souls. It is a time set aside for healing and rejuvenation–to reflect and be grateful for the week that has passed and the hope of what is to come. By taking our Sabbath we ward off disease and stress. It has medicinal qualities–a preventative step for healthy bodies and spirits. We can become parched and dehydrated on the inside, and for this the cure is our Sabbath.
I say all this as a reminder to myself to open weekly that precious gift He deemed so important that even He received it for Himself. I want to unwrap that present each week and savor its contents. I want to lavish in the healing powers of my Sabbath. Just as I would enjoy the warmth of a hot bath or the purifying heat of a steam room, I want to sit back and be detoxified from my week of work and obligations. And in so doing, I find myself at a place of worship and sweet surrender to my God–the Giver of all things good and wonderful including our Sabbath.
