Sabbath Peace

Shabbat shalom. 

Sabbath peace.

Tonight I am going to explain one of my personal favorite gifts that God has given us. The Sabbath. So many people out there don't understand the meaning of Sabbath, the purpose of Sabbath, and the benefits of Sabbath. I remember a coworker asking me about it one time, and she was in awe to all that it means. So let's start back 30-some years ago. I've grown up in a Seventh-Day Adventist home. From birth I have been taught on the importance of observing the Sabbath.

But I'll be honest; when I was a child I did not always appreciate the Sabbath. For those of you who are unaware, Sabbath typically means from sundown Friday night until sundown Saturday night. And  in our household, it usually meant worship Friday night as a family, church on Sabbath morning, and a good home-cooked meal followed by a Sabbath afternoon hike, etc. We often had a worship Saturday evening to "close the Sabbath" and then after sundown we would resume normal weekend activities. And like most kids, weekends meant getting to stay up later, watch movies, eat pizza buns, etc. So we often were a little to eager to have Sabbath end so we could watch a certain TV show or movie. And we completely missed the point.

When I was in college, going through my "rebellious" years and searching for meaning, I spent a fair amount of time rejecting my prior upbringing. Sure, I still often went to church, but I would watch movies Friday night, hit the mall Sabbath afternoon, and other "worldly" activities. I had recently come to the realization that I was not going to hell if I didn't keep the Sabbath, so maybe it wasn't all that important. Again, I missed the point.

Once I started to become more serious in my striving to depend on God and to be more like Him, I started to see what I'm sure my parents had seen all along.

Sabbath is a gift.

From God.

To me.

It's not about what I can't do on the Sabbath, but what I can do. I can have tickle fights with my kids and play with them on the floor rather than rushing to finish the dishes or prepare for the next day. I can go to church Sabbath morning, close my eyes and sing with my whole heart to my Maker, give hugs to brothers and sisters in Christ whom I don't get to see or visit with on "normal" days. I can share a special meal with my extended family. I can take a nice slow walk to the park or in the mountains without having to worry about other things I should be doing. I can watch a sunset, listen to the birds chirping, and raise my face to the sunlight and say, "Thank you, Jesus, for Sabbath!"

That's what Sabbath now means to me.

Now, unfortunately, Sabbaths for me don't always mean taking a break from work. When you work at a hospital, people don't always get well and go home for the weekend. So instead I spend those days trying to remember (as I always should!) that God wants us to be His hands, His feet, His arms... He wants me to see my patients through His eyes, love them with His heart. So I do my best, however imperfectly, to take extra time in seeing others this way on Sabbath. And then I race home to spend as much time snuggling my precious family while we have these moments.

Sabbath. Lord knows I need it. That's why He gave it to me. And to you, too.

Happy Sabbath and good night! God bless! <3

His Unfolding Grace

Twice in the last 24 hours I have come across the following verse: "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG)

Twice. Somebody is trying to tell me something. Don't give up on His grace.

The past few days I haven't written anything. Not that I haven't been thankful for anything, but to be honest I've felt like a failure as a mom. What kind of mother is sometimes happier at work than at home? Work is so much simpler than home life. It's easier to fake cheerfulness and energy with a patient than with my own children. And that makes me sad. My two little ones are learning to express themselves via screaming, in addition to the hitting, biting, whining, etc. I know this is not uncommon, but it is so very exhausting.

But, praise the Lord, He is not done with me yet. His Grace is sufficient for ME!

And even though it may feel "like things are falling apart on us, ... God is making new life..." IN ME! So why don't I choose to focus on His goodness? It takes, for me anyway, a conscious choice to see how many blessings He has showered upon me. Here are just a few more...

22. The velvety nose of a horse. Always one of my favorite things.

23. The fragrance of daphne carried in a warm spring breeze.

24. The wind in your hair when driving with the windows down on a beautiful day.

25. My mother's optimism. Wish I would have inherited more of it, but I am trying to train myself to let go of the negativity.

26. Laughing with my sister over incredibly silly inside jokes... POMEGRANATE!

27. Ahhhhh the luck o' the Irish! Sorry, another inside joke.

28. Did I mention He's not finished with me yet?

Now what I need is to think of these things and many more when those walls start to crumble. When I feel like I'm about to lose control, and like I'm failing in the battle for my attitude.

"Morning by morning, new mercies I see... Great is Thy faithfulness!"

Thank you, Jesus.