My Change

At the end of Jeff’s talk…Change…My Life, he challenged  us to ask God and listen to one change He would have us make this year in our life.  I didn’t have to wait for this sermon to know the change I needed to make.  Me and God kind of had this conversation the first day of the year.  As mentioned in this post, I started the  LifeJournal.cc reading plan through youversion.com.  The first day of the year the plan began with Genesis 1&2.  As soon as I got to this verse, it hit me like a ton of bricks….

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.   Genesis 2:3

Rest

God rested from all his work.

How in the world is a wife – a pastor’s wife at that, a mom of 3, a family CEO, a chef, a cleaning lady, a chauffer, a tutor, an accountant, a laundress, a counselor, an entertainer,  a nurse, a volunteer, a friend, supposed to rest?  Wow, it makes me tired just typing all of that.

I started looking through the Bible and here are a few verses that talk about the Sabbath:

Exodus 16:29a – “They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you…”

Exodus 20:8-“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

Mark 2:27-“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.'”

So what does this mean for me?

I admit I was not surprised when I felt God was speaking to me on this subject.  I can multi-task with the best of them, and if there is something not finished…I can’t sit down…can’t relax.  So I welcomed the thought of a time for rest.

I googled “how does a mom take a Sabbath” and I came across this interview with author Keri Wyatt Kent.  I was very excited to find this book – rest: living in Sabbath Simplicity that she had written.  If you click the link you’ll find information about the book and be able to download the Intro and 1st chapter.  Here are some of the things I’ve highlighted so far:

Introduction

• Sabbath-keeping is a spiritual practice.  Some weeks are better than others, but we continue to practice it because in it, we encounter God in life-changing ways.
• We can be intentional without becoming institutional.
• It it a command…one of the Ten Commandments
• It is a day of peace, of restfulness, of recreation that actually re-creates us.  A day when we focus on one another instead of on our to-do lists….because OFTEN, WHAT I NEED TO REST FROM MOST IS MY PERFECTIONISM.
• I’m finding that if I unplug regularly, I get more done, because my energy and enthusiasm are renewed by rest.

Chapter 1

• Jesus kept the Sabbath…not in the way His culture expected, he exercised great freedom.
• Jesus healed on the Sabbath…a picture of untying someone from bondage (Luke 13:15)
• What holds you in bondage?  Are you a slave to your to-do list, imprisoned by your schedule?
• The Sabbath is a gift for all people, if only we would choose to receive it

I’m very excited to get through more of the book and to figure out how to have a day of true rest, to invest in my relationship with God, my relationship with my family and my relationships with others.  Why is it so hard for us to remember…God made us, our bodies…He commanded us to rest…wouldn’t you think He would know best what our bodies need?  Trust Him in this, and as we trust Him with what He’s commanded us to do, trust He will bring the increase, in our time and our productivity.

Do you need to rest?  What is one step you can take…one thing you can put into action to rest?  If you already take time to rest, please share.  As my journey continues and as God continues to break down my pride in my productivity, I will share the new things I’m learning.  Remember….

….the Sabbath is the Lord’s GIFT to you.   Exodus 16:29a