Sunday was a good day. It might have seemed like any other Sunday but it wasn’t. It was special because for the first time in a long time my family and I relaxed. We relaxed because we truly took the Sabbath for what it means: a time to rest and a time to connect; with God and with each other. We fulfilled God’s command (Exodus 16:23)
This is what the Lord has commanded: Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord
and experienced His rest (Hebrews 4:9-10)
There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
When I first heard about it
A few years ago a friend of mine told me about how him and his family would take Sunday as a day of rest. While it seemed good at first my mind immediately took me back to all the tasks I would need to fulfill and how “wasting” 24 hours was unacceptable. I mean, how could I do all that I wanted to do with one less day of the week?
When my body reminded me of it
It became less of a theory and more of a must when after weeks of long hours in the office my body broke down. I was tired and literally aching; mentally and physically. I wanted to wake up early and stay up late; I had things to do but I couldn’t muster the energy to do it all. My body was telling me to slow down.
When it all made sense
It’s been 3 years since I had that experience and I remember how Courtney and I decided to stop scheduling activities on Sundays. Since then we’ve created great memories with long walks, backyard games and some heartfelt conversations. I can look back and see how much I needed to have taken each weekend as an opportunity to slow down and enjoy what was most important to me.
Spending time with God solidified it all
But if I was to point to the one thing that made Sunday worthwhile it was my renewed time with God. In fact that is the whole purpose of the Sabbath: to spend time with the creator and provider of all that I’m surrounded with. I’m not talking about just attending church; we’ve always done that. I’m talking about waking up with a desire to spend time with God. To learn about His love for us; His plan and purpose for our lives. To have the whole family join in as we read scripture and listen to God’s story.
It also provides a better perspective on the week ahead
Ultimately, spending time with God and my family while experiencing true rest provides me a better outlook for the week ahead. My work emphasis is less on the challenges and more on what I get to do. It becomes easier to see work for what it truly is: worship. Not a consuming list of tasks but joyful activities that praise my God and support my family. I’m able to look at my time with others as an opportunity to be light and bring value to any interaction. Ultimately, the Sabbath provides rest and replenishment.
Have you ever observed a Sabbath? Maybe you work on Sunday and you need to do it during another day of the week. My encouragement to you is that you take the time to immerse yourself in God’s word with a day free of appointments or to-do’s.
David Marques 