The Sabbath is For Reverence

Maybelle Crabtree here. Okay, it’s been awhile since my last post. But some of it wasn’t my fault. Well, some of it wasn’t my fault. But I’m not going to rehash anything. Things are good now so I’m counting my blessings. Now back to the subject at hand: the Sabbath is for Reverence.

These past few weeks have been a blur and very frustrating. It’s difficult to even remember what I was doing. But I do remember what I wasn’t doing: observing the Sabbath and writing. I need these lessons probably more than anyone else. So today I’m talking about the reverence for the Sabbath.

If you need a refresher course about what I wrote about the Sabbath last time, click here.

What is Reverence?

Reverence means to have a deep respect for someone or something. Though usually associated with religion, it involves humbling ourselves in a respectful recognition of something perceived to be greater than ourselves. A Biblical definition of reverence is an honor or respect that is felt intrinsically, deeply, and is outwardly demonstrated. It is the feeling of awe, fear, and wonder with respect. (Click here for more information about that)

According to crosswalk,com, since we are created in the image of God, our bodies are precious to Him and not throwaway shells. Our bodies, as I have mentioned before in a blog post, are God’s temple and He speaks highly of reverence for His sanctuary.

Ways to Show Reverence

Reverence can be practiced every day, not just on the Sabbath too. Here are a few ways to do that.

Treasure the Lord’s Name

Refuse to use His name in vain. Don’t say it meaninglessly and without honor. Many people, including yours truly at times, have used God’s name as an exclamation, out of exasperation, or as a casual expression or acknowledgement without the proper respect and reverence. Even texting “OMG!” is not good.

We need to use God’s name only to praise Him, proclaim Him as our Savior, or pray to Him. Any other way is abusive and irreverent.

Treat Yourself and Others Respectfully

Once again, our bodies are God’s temple and we need to revere Him by keeping them pure in every way possible. We can also revere God by treating others well. This one I’m still working on. I mean I treat others with respect and love but there are some people who are just a little bit harder to love and respect.

Gladys Kravitz

Take, for instance, one of the neighbors here on Primrose Lane. To protect the innocent, let’s just say her name is Gladys Kravitz. You remember Gladys. She was a character on the classic television show, Bewitched. She and her husband, Abner, lived across the street from the show’s lead characters Samantha and Darrin Stephens. Samantha, for those of you who don’t know, was a witch who was married to the mortal, Darrin. Gladys was extremely nosy and frequently peeked out her front window curtains to spy on her neighbors.

Primrose Lane’s Gladys works a little differently; though most of us aren’t sure quite how she does it. Maybe it’s when she takes her daily walk. Or when she sits on her porch, rocking back and forth in her glider chair, watching the neighborhood kids play. Perhaps she has somehow bugged all of our homes and she sits in her secret hiding place eavesdropping on all of us residents. Conceivably it’s when she brings lemonade and fresh-baked cookies to all the men when they’re working on their yards on the weekends.

That’s How Some People Are

I guess that’s just how some people are. They have to everything about everybody. I can accept that. But I can’t accept those kind of people calling you out on it. Primrose Lane Gladys wants everyone to know that she knows something at they don’t. Gives her some kind of superior status then the rest of us. Now I don’t have anything to hide. I’m an open book. I have this blog after all where I share almost everything about my life and my family’s life. But I want to tell people on my timeline, not on hers.

When Tom Died

For instance, when Tom died I was obviously a total mess. My brain wasn’t processing anything correctly. Just making sure all the family members were contacted that first night was a chore and took all my energy. By late the next morning, I began notifying some of the neighbors. A couple of them confessed they already knew via Gladys. “How did she find out?” I asked myself.

Okay, there was a squad car and a coroner’s wagon in front of the house, but how did she know the details? Does she have a police scanner in her home? But most of all, what gave her the right to tell anyone?

I barely talk to her now. In fact, I avoid her as much as possible. Now I’m the one who looks out the front window to see if’s she’s anywhere in sight before I go out the front door. But sometimes she seems to appear out of nowhere and I’m polite to her. I just make sure the conversation is short.

Back to Reverence

So there you have it. Observing the Sabbath means being reverent to God, ourselves, and especially our neighbors. Loving and respecting God and myself is the easy part. But it may take a while for my neighbor, Gladys. But it will happen.

What about you? Do you have a Gladys Kravitz who is difficult to love and respect? Leave me a comment down below and let’s discuss. Maybelle Crabtree signing out.