Sabbath???

I think we lost what Sabbath is supposed to mean. I grew up where Sabbath meant you went to church on Sunday then went home and sat around watching TV or played in the yard. More than likely we cleaned the house. Sabbath meant that stores were closed, so we were forced to not do much. Sometimes we would visit Grama and Grampa.

I did not like this idea that we were "forced" to spend time off of work. Granted, I was a kid, and did not understand what working was. It was a lazy day, and we were lazy. I just didn't like that.

I don't think Sabbath means "to be lazy for a day."

In The Message, Isaiah 58:13-14 reads "If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage , If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,' making money, running here and there— Then you'll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." Yes! God says so!" (italics mine)

I really don't see God telling us to be lazy! I see Him telling us to have a party with Him! We are to take the focus off of ourselves and anything to be gained personally and put it onto God. Sittin on our bums watching football does not qualify as celebrating with God! Sorry guys, but it is not true!

I also don't see anywhere where God says to make Sundays the "Holy day of Sabbath." In fact if you follow the calendar properly, the 7th day is for rest, and the seventh day is Saturday. It goes back to those pagans who worshiped the sun, making the first day of the week "sun" day. This is about the only part where I agree with Seventh Day Adventists.

In today's world, the Sabbath just might end up being Tuesday. Well, it is for me anyway! Tuesday is one of my busiest days ever, so what makes it a Sabbath? First off, it is the only day of the week I consistently have off from work. Secondly, I dedicate that day to God. Yes, I might sleep in... but I also spend the most time that day serving God, volunteering, enjoying His nature. (See Is 58:6-12)

Tuesday is the day I get to spend with Dave most of the time, and we spend it together serving in East Aurora during the school year with the kids. Tuesdays is Brady Book Club, and my week is not complete without reading with the kids. Then we go to Celebrate the Journey at the Yellow Box and I serve there as one of the leaders. I find myself becoming this person that I never thought I could be, free to enjoy God, serving others, and riding high above it all. I love what I do there, and throughout the week, I am thinking about my group, and ways I can be a better person and better leader for my group. I think about the people I know from C the J and pray for them throughout my week, but it is on Tuesdays where I invest myself in them.

While I am not doing things for myself, I am getting SO MUCH out of it. I think that is what God means when he says Sabbath. I put myself aside for a day, but by no means am I lazy. I celebrate God by showing others what he has done for me.

I wish that I could live the Sabbath life. I wish money were no obstacle and I could just spend my day serving those who are less fortunate, or investing myself in other people. Too bad I am not a Hilton. I take that back --thank God I am not a Hilton, I would not be who I am today!

What do you do to Sabbath?