Scripture Reading: Luke 10.38-42 Today's inspiration: Exodus 20.8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Good Morning.

When God separated the night from the day, it was good; approximately half the day to work, play, and get ahead during the light, and the remainder for family and rest after dark. According to the National Sleep Foundation, before Thomas Edison's light bulb invention, people slept an average of 10 hours per night--by 2002, Americans were averaging a little less than seven hours on weeknights, and 7 and 1/2 on weekends--so much for natural circadian rhythms. A few short weeks ago, I sat across the lunch table from a hard-working youngish man, (my age--so of course he is youngish!), who made a statement that will really struck me--"I work seven days a week, 18 hours a day. I usually run on 5 hours of sleep a night, which is plenty for me." ( I could almost hear the wheels in his head saying, 'must keep going, must keep going. . .') This new friend of mine has three young children at home, and I believe he considers his life to be balanced. . . but how could it be? And is his body such an efficient piece of machinery that it really can function well on five hours of sleep? If so, I must be squandering productive hours by sleeping. I had some things to think about; after all, I want to be a good steward of what God has given me, including time.

Right on cue, I got a package in the mail containing an unpublished manuscript, asking for my review--the book will be called REST: Living in Sabbath Simplicity. Ever the multi-tasker, I began reading it on the gym treadmill, after getting out of the hospital from my recent recovery from Cat Scratch Fever. REST has caused me to rethink a few things, and I'm excited to implement some changes in my life. Kent, the author, explores the fourth commandment that God gave to Moses for His children, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." The Hebrew word for holy here means 'set apart'. I have a confession to make--the only way I have really observed much of a Sabbath is by Sunday morning church attendance. That is not exactly 'set apart.' So much more is meant by this eight-word command. For those of you who are speed reading this right now, I implore you, or as the King James Version would say, 'I beseech you, my beloved brethren', please give a little thought to this discussion--your health and your relationships may depend on it.

Sabbath was instituted by God the Father--after six days of creation, He looked at His handiwork, called it good, and then stopped. He rested. Observant Jews honor the sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday--a 24-hour period. By contrast, I just told you that this observant Christian ekes out just one hour for Sunday morning worship service. Pretty poor. Then, I just let the demands of life take over again--housework, laundry, shopping, whatever my boys want to do. . . not really different than any other day, is it? I didn't learn that from my mom--goodness knows, the roast beef was in the oven before we went to church; we had Sunday supper, and rested. How I have compromised honoring the Sabbath--but the compromise is greater than just my Sunday activity level, I really do not have much spiritual rest in my routine. The hectic pace takes its toll on me.

Sabbath is a day meant for worship, rest and relationship. In enjoying the freedom of the Sabbath, we learn to practice stillness which serves to bring some order to our lives. Indeed, if we observed Sabbath like the Lord would have us, we would worship our Creator, spend time resting our bodies and minds, and spend time with loved ones as well. My first attempt at instituting greater spiritual rest into my daily life is making it my priority to work during the daylight hours, giving myself permission to rest and enjoy my family after dusk. (Maybe then I would be fully engaged with my family in the evening. . . is it just me, or doo you find your mind pulled this way and that in the evenings?) And as for Sundays, I'm going to endeavor to spend the day in life-giving pursuits--which means, no writing, no work e-mail or voicemails--maybe a walk with the family on the beach, or curling up with a good book after church. (at least until dusk!) This will require a little advance preparation--laundry and meals completed by Saturday night--and maybe the household pitching in on Saturday morning to ensure that the house is clutter-free and tidy for Sunday, so that everyone can experience the feeling of sabbath rest. (The preparation time is a new learning curve, but I'm convinced it will be worth it)

Not just worth it, but also obedient. . .How is it that I have ignored God's priority and command for the observance of the Sabbath? Honestly, I've purposed to 'keep it' before, but slip back into my old busy ways. Consequently, I have been missing out on bringing the sanctuary of the sabbath into my home, making it not only part of my Christian experience, but part of living a balanced life as well. When Jesus said, "Come to Me, and I will give you rest," I'm convinced that it is His desire for us to know what it is to rest, and that true rest is found in Him. More than that, He said, "You are my friends if you do what I command you." (John 15.13) and have you read 1 John 2.3 lately? By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

So that you may slow. . . down,

Christine