Sunday Sentiments: Sabbath Living, Intentional Rest

 

Honoring the Sabbath isn’t new for me. I grew up in a home that had a strong focus on respecting the Lord’s Day. We never ate out on Sundays – or spent any money anywhere, for that matter. We didn’t go to stores, put gas in the car, or even take the Sunday paper. We didn’t watch TV or do any housework on Sundays. (I learned the hard way that homework was also off limits on Sundays. I never knew that was an actual rule until the Sunday when I found a forgotten assignment in my backpack and pulled it out to work on it.)

            The day was all about napping (which I did not appropriately appreciate as a child), attending church, spending time with church friends, reading, and simply resting.

            I don’t think I found the delight in the Sabbath back then. It felt to me more like a day of remembering all the things I couldn’t do, rather than appreciating the freedom of rest. (You can understand, I’m sure. How many of you crave Chick-Fil-A or want to start a Hobby Lobby project on Sunday more than any other day? The pull of what you can’t have is strong for all of us!)

            As an adult, I’ve tried to continue what I was brought up to do, but I’ve also tried to find the delight in the Sabbath.

            You could read articles for days (and I have!) on how we should observe the Sabbath, and most of them wildly – and emphatically – disagree on what is acceptable. If you’re hoping I have somehow found the accurate answer, I will disappoint you now and tell you that I haven’t.

            But I am learning, a piece at a time, to pursue what I believe shows honor to the Lord.

·         * No work. Scripture says we are supposed to work for six days and rest on the seventh. We don’t do house or yard work on Sunday. For the most part, we also don’t work vocationally on Sundays. I say “for the most part” because part of Ryan’s work involves speaking in church services, and those take place on Sundays.

·         * Resting, body and soul. We almost always take naps on Sunday afternoons, and I do so gladly and without guilt. We choose to spend part of the day watching TV, and I often scrapbook or play on Pinterest, because those things are restful to our minds and hearts. I know some people are adamant about unplugging from all technology on Sunday, and that’s completely fine! There may come a day when I feel convicted to do the same, but for now, I do choose to remain connected.

·        *  Church! We love our church. We love the teaching and our friends. Going to church is a joy and pleasure, and it’s something we choose to make a priority on Sundays.

One thing that can be challenging for us is handling the obligations that occasionally pop up from family or friends. Ryan’s family often has birthday parties on Sunday afternoons, and since we live a distance away, participation in those means traveling and carving out part of the afternoon that would normally be our rest and rejuvenation time for celebration instead. We struggle, because we want to participate in family life and support his siblings, but we also feel the pull to honor our need for rest.

Holidays, too, sometimes fall on Sundays, and that presents similar conundrums. We sometimes host and sometimes attend, but either way, the time allotted for rest on those days seems to lower significantly.

My hope is that I can hold legalism at bay and somehow remain true to the convictions of my heart. Unfortunately trying to strike a balance there is likely to offend someone along the way, so I just have to keep chipping away at finding that fine line of obedient grace.

I hold my heart open before the Lord to learn and grow as He chooses to lead and teach me, but I do want to say I’m grateful for the teaching of my upbringing, and I’m grateful for a husband who strives to honor the Sabbath too!