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