Sabbath Definition: A day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.

A Day of Rest

As a young mom with three children ages five and younger, it took no time at all for my schedule to go from full and to overflowing. With doctor appointments, little league, school plays, homework and all the church activities, we were booked solid. When one of my friends would ask, “How are you doing?” My only response was, “Busy.” I started to realize I was in trouble when my children began to ask if we could just stay home. Finally I said to my husband, “Honey we have to do life differently!” being the introvert that he is he agreed.

I was then reminded that we have a choice. In the Bible, (Genesis 2:2) God created the world in six days and took the next day off to rest. If God realized the importance of rest than I should as well.

There was a list of things that I had to come to grips with:

• Understand that God created the model for taking the time to rest.
• Accept that my life can sometimes become too busy.
• Recognize that rest is important for both me and my family.
• Look for ways to rest so I could reflect on the past and look forward to the future.
• Choose a day to be my day of rest.

Once I accepted the list above I was able to move forward. I started small and took it one week at a time. My day of rest built up over time and now over 30 years later I have a full rest day where I can rejuvenate my soul and reflect on the previous week. Below are some action steps that started the process.

Action Steps:

• Talk to your family members (husband and kiddos) or friends about what a day of rest will look like. Make a plan to use some of the ideas.
• Choose one day a week that will be your day of rest. Start small. Maybe you need to take a break from something one day a week like doing dishes or cooking or the laundry. Make provisions for this decision like paper plates or a prepared meal from Sam’s Club or Cosco (they are inexpensive and tasty). When you set yourself up for success, you are more likely to stick with it.
• Make a list of things to avoid on your day of rest like technology or TV. Post this on your calendar. Let your family and friends know so they can respect your decision.
• Make sure you have some restful music on your phone (instrumental preferred) so while you are resting you can create an atmosphere of rest.
• Taking a Sabbath will take planning, but will be worth the effort. You will never regret slowing down to relax into a day with less stress and more rest.