Maybelle Crabtree here. I read a devotional a couple of weeks ago about the Sabbath. It was short and sweet. Just like a devotional is supposed to be. But this one was too short. The explanation of a Sabbath was vague. Now I realize this was a devotional and not an essay but I wanted more information; more than the devotional gave me. Of course, I did what I always do: researched. And I’m sharing that information with all of you wonderful folks.
What is A Sabbath?
A Sabbath, according to the devotional, is a day for reverence, rest, renewal, rejuvenation, reassuring rituals, recreation, rejoicing, revelation, and remembering how much you have to be grateful for and saying “thank you!” for it. It also stated all this can be accomplished not just in a religious setting but in other ways as well. You can walk, sit in bed and read a book, do a crossword puzzle, sip something special in front of a roaring fire, listen to music, or any other way that speaks to your soul. Finally, the activities you do on your Sabbath – no matter what day you choose – should uplift you and provide inspiration to sustain you through the next six days.
Now all this got me to thinking. That’s a lot of “Rs”; nine to be exact. And I’m supposed to fit them all into one, 24-hour day. How is that possible? Won’t I feel stressed?
The Sabbath, by definition, is a day of religious observance and an abstinence from work. It is a pause in our daily lives to take it all in and recharge. But most of all, it is a reminder of a loving, creative God who commanded us to remember and honor the Sabbath.
Sabbath Commanded By God
Commandment number four of The Ten Commandments declares this very fact: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8). God reminds us of this fact in additional verses of the Bible.
For example, in Exodus 34:21, it states, “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” In addition, Deuteronomy 5:14-15 says “but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not work,…Therefore the Lord your God has commended you to observe the Sabbath day.”
God commanded us to work six days and then rest for a day. How hard is that? Your Sabbath doesn’t need to be the traditional Saturday or Sunday. Make it any day that works best for your schedule. God makes it simple for us. But do we take advantage of it? No, we do not!
Why Don’t We Rest?
Most of us don’t want to look lazy. Getting ahead and in front of the next guy is celebrated. That’s not wrong. It’s just been taken to the extreme. And with all the “modern” technology, no one can “get away” from work anymore.
Back when I was a child, most things were closed on Sundays. Or, if they were open, they closed early. Sundays were a day for church-going and family get-togethers. But somehow and somewhere, things changed. Activities abound seven days a week. Church attendance is down. And families are scattered. Even vacations are not exempt from this problem.
Tom the Workaholic
Take, for instance, my loving husband, Tom. He was a dedicated husband and father. However, he was also a dedicated employee. Too dedicated sometimes; especially on vacations. He didn’t rest and relax on vacation. He worked. Many a times the kids and I, ready for an exciting day of adventure, sat in the hotel room until Tom finished “one last email.” Oftentimes, Tom finished a report upstairs in the house while the rest of us sat in the minivan still parked in the garage. He abandoned us, sometimes, for conference calls. “Where’s Dad? was a common question on all vacations.
His antics got so bad that one time at a family vacation planning meeting, Laurel blurted out, “Does Dad have to come? He just works anyway. Can’t he just stay home?” Out of the mouths of babes sometimes comes the truth.
Tom slightly change after that. When the sun was out, the phone was on silent mode and the laptop stayed in the hotel room safe. But once the three of them were asleep, the laptop was turned on and his phone once again dinged. He never did learn to completely rest and relax. But I loved him anyway.
Back to a Sabbath Day
So how do we get back to remembering and honoring the Sabbath? First off we have to remember that as Christians, we are not of this corporate ladder-climbing, win-at-all-cost, rate race world. We walk a different path. Second, if we truly love God with all our hearts, bodies, souls, and minds, we must follow all of this commandments including number four. We cannot pick and choose.
In the next few posts, I will explore each of the nine “Rs.” I hope you join me in this exploration. Believe me, I need this reminder probably more than any of you. So what do you do to honor and remember the Sabbath? Leave a comment down below and let’s discuss. Maybelle Crabtree signing off.