Rest Required

"I'll sleep when I am dead" is a common quip from one of my friends that constantly overcommits. I have, in times past, had the mindset that the things I wanted to do or needed to do were more important than getting some shut-eye. I do not make a practice of stressing my body, mind and spirit that way. I have noticed from years of watching my children and grandchildren, and the view in the mirror that losing sleep will make a person sick.

For at least eighty percent of my life I have practiced keeping the Sabbath as written about in the scriptures of the old testament and the new. By doing this, every Friday evening through the whole day on Saturday until sunset our family would leave anything that had to do with making money or even schooling (the job of most youth) "at the door" so to speak. As the Sabbath approached we would enjoy a family meal, sometimes including extended family or another family from the congregation with whom we attended Sabbath service. Our conversation would be centered on lessons we had learned that week and how we might improve our attitudes. We would speak of the miraculous things that we encountered and the times during the week that we knew God  intervened for us in our lives. Life slowed down every seventh day and we rested. Saturday was the day to sleep in or possibly take an afternoon nap. We did not have to think about going to work or school, we did not go shopping, or mow the grass. We did not wash the car, do home maintenance, or go to the movies. Our meals were planned and prepared in advance so that there was not a lot of stuff to take care of in the kitchen. We rested.

Yesterday in the early evening some friends and I went to Olive Garden and had drinks and dinner and we were home by dark. Today I am enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the chirping of the birds outside the big picture window in my living room. I have been thinking on and appreciating the great things that have happened in the past seven days. Pretty soon I will go heat up a piece of quiche that I made yesterday and perhaps have a nice cup of tea for breakfast. I'll read Proverbs 8 and probably the whole book of James and then I will get dressed and go to the Sabbath meeting and learn something. Hopefully some of the folks there will tell me how God intervened in their lives this past week.

I am a creature of habit. Some of them I intend to break over the next year, but the practice of resting on the seventh day will not be one of them. If anything, I would like to get back to preparing more and focusing more on the rest that my creator planned for me each week. Until later ~ Rita Darlene