The Sabbath Blessing (Part 1)

Rest.

Stillness.

Being.

Refresh.

Words that pour out of the word “Sabbath.”
Yet our Sabbaths often consist of:

Catch up.

Work.

To-Do Lists.

What if we rethought what the Sabbath was supposed to be? What if we questioned many of the things we “assumed” the Sabbath should be and remade it into what it was intended to be? What if we simply followed the example of the Creator of the Sabbath? What if we just, well, rested?

Why do we make excuses for what we do on the Sabbath? Why is the Sabbath viewed strictly as a legalistic day, filled with judgment on one another? It is sad. It is burdensome. The emotions that God did NOT intend the Sabbath to be.

The Creator of the universe, the Creator of the Sabbath, patterned what the Sabbath is to look like.
A day of rest.

Just IMAGINE that? The One who CREATED the UNIVERSE, even took a break. Oh little us, why do we struggle to take a break from our daily tasks? What a slam in God’s face. We think God doesn’t understand? Maybe we should ask Him what it is like to create the universe? To make the stars stay in the sky. To make the fish stay in the sea, to make the animals not kill Adam. To figure out how to fit all of our organs, bones, tendons, muscles, in our bodies. We think we are busy!

That’s exactly it. We THINK we are so busy. I know some of you are screaming: BECAUSE WE ARE.

You often hear “we are human BEINGS, not human DOINGS.
I think about the story of Mary and Martha. I am Martha. I am working on being Mary, but you could just call me Martha. I attribute success in life with being busy every moment of the day. Doing some “productive.” I think being productive means constantly finding something to do and filling my day with menial tasks. Yet Mary took time. Time to be with her Savior.

God does not see our worth in what we do and don’t do.  He already has counted us as worthy – through the death of His Son. God’s views are completely opposite of that of our world’s. God goes against the grain. So lets start to go against the grain – to NOT see our worth in what we accomplish. God sees us as worthy and out of that worthiness, we serve Him. We have the privilege of serving in His world – His Kingdom. Our worth flows out of the grace of His love – may the way we see others flow out of the same grace.

How often, amidst all of my busyness, do I not have “time” for my Savior? I wake up, start my daily tasks, yet forget the One who created me? I am ashamed. I am ashamed that my spiritual appetite isn’t strong enough to stomach the desire to BE WITH THE ONE WHO CREATED ME.

What if we began our weeks with what the Sabbath was intended to be? To not be about OUR busyness. To not be about OUR agendas, but about God’s agenda? Guess what – God’s agenda for us on Sunday is to REST. To BE STILL. To REFRESH. Words that are not in the working human’s vocabulary. But to the One who it matters most to, those are the words He desires for us.

Be still.
Take a deep breath.
Think about you can rethink your Sabbath.