I don’t know about you, but I’ve encountered many things that I thought would be easy turn out to be difficult. Like recommitting to working out or starting my daily writing habit. Today, I realized just how hard it can be not to work.
To set the stage, my cousin mentioned to me that he has started observing the Christian Sabbath on Sundays. What that means is that he does nothing related to his business. He’ll read, work out, and spend time with his wife. He has been doing this for a few weeks now and finds it so spiritually and mentally rejuvenating.
I recently decided to give this a try. It seemed like a simple thing. Do no work on Sunday. I was wrong. The day started off just fine. I did some reading, watched some TV, and it was all great. Then my brain started thinking about the time I was "wasting". I could hear that little voice in my head saying, "Maybe you should work on your portfolio," or "You need to get some more resumes sent out, ya know."
I tried to ignore the voices at first. They just kept getting louder. What I should have done is prayed, but I didn't, and that's another story. Finally, I felt like I had wasted so much time that I had to do something. So, I went downstairs, did my laundry, cleaned up the house, and started the menu for the coming week.
Now I realize that the chores aren't the same thing as working on my tech-related projects or resumes. Those are geared toward helping me improve my income situation, but they were still activities that were not leisure-oriented. They were not meant to relax and recharge. I did them as a distraction from the pull to actually work.
I will continue to observe the Sabbath as best I can. I realize now this is going to be a process. It's not something I can jump into and get right off the bat. With practice and prayer, I hope to overcome my "need" to work so I can take time to enjoy my Sundays as a true day of rest. Even God rested from His work, so we should too. Resting, taking time to unload the brain, makes it easier to connect with Him and be ready to hear His message.
Do you observe the Sabbath? Do you have one day a week where you relax and turn off all the noise of getting things done? Or do you have to be doing something in order to feel at peace? I'd love to hear your story.
—Daniel