I don’t rest very much. Even on Sabbath, I struggle to slow down and relax. Of course, with little children, slowing down and relaxing take on a whole different meaning. Add to that, the Greek obsession with living by the clock and stuffing our calendars, and life becomes about rushing around, hurrying, stress, and “the next thing on the list.” I wonder if this isn’t a way to keep us from reflecting on life, what God’s done in it and the awesomeness of who He is and some of the insanity of what we do…. Anyway, Skip wrote an interesting article this morning about that familiar verse in Psalm 23 about still waters. I thought I’d post it here as a reminder (to me) to stop going so fast. Read it here. >>>> Here’s what I wrote in the comments afterwards: For me, rest is one of the hardest things for me to do. My mind goes a million miles a minute through all the things I need to accomplish – for my family, my work, and so on. My family is starting to keep the Sabbath, although I must say it’s not necessarily restful (yet)… but it’s a sweet time to be together and a great excuse to say “no” to some of the other things that beg for attention. Even then, I find myself struggle to just relax. It’s an interesting thought that God’s not in a hurry. Because we don’t get the in-between times, it’s easy to forget that it was years and even decades between the events we read about in the Bible, even those that tell us about Yeshua’s life often clump together many days and week’s worth of teachings (like in Matthew). God isn’t Dora (if you have little kids, you know what I mean). He isn’t constantly saying, “Let’s go go go!” and rushing off to the next obstacle on the map. I think part of the problem (at least with me) is that Greek mentality of time… We live by the clock (especially as a teacher). God doesn’t. I love the fact that there is no Hebrew word for time. That alone should tell me something about the lack of priority that He places on it. Thanks, Skip, for reminding us to stop and breathe and be (in an active, restful way, of course).
Hey! I was reading an article sent to me by a friend, and when I went to the website to read more, I found this interesting article about the Sabbath. For copyright purposes, I can’t copy and paste it, but if you’re interested, check it out here >>>.
A Thought on Trying to Rest Ah, sabbath. Let me tell you, it’s a lot easier to talk about rest than it is to actually rest. My husband almost had to go in to work, I had to clean out the refrigerator (certainly not by choice, but life happened), and because of that the trash had to go out. For the most part, it was restful. And, best of all, the entire family got to go hear Skip Moen speak at the church where I occasionally lead worship in Ocoee! That part was awesome! We’re actually going back this morning to the 9am and 11am services to hear part 2 and 3 of his talk. It’ll be interesting to see how the little monkeys hold up to the second service since it starts (and ends) so late. I suspect they’ll be fine, but will be pretty darn tired (and hungry) on the ride home. Ah well. So, I started reading two books yesterday (yes, I do read two; it’s the add/multi-tasker in me): Hearing God (Dallas Walker) and Pagan Christianity (Frank Viola and George Barna). Both are very interesting. Here are some thoughts about chapter 1 of Hearing God: God’s Will One thing I liked is how Willard describes God’s will. As a parent I may tell my kids to go and play. I don’t tell them what room to play in or with what toys or in what manner (although I do expect them to play nicely). God’s will is similar. God doesn’t always micromanage life. Sure, there are some times when He is very specific, especially when there’s a particular purpose He wants accomplished, but He just expects us to live according to His Torah. Just keep living until He says otherwise. Abraham spent three years between the times when God talked to him. In that time, he just lived. Also, building on something Willard said later in the chapter, God builds character in us so that we know how to “play” appropriately and nicely with others. As He shapes me to be more like Him, my character and actions are more like His, and I think more like Him. Therefore, I am more likely to do things in a manner which pleases Him. I’m also more likely to know what and where His will is happening because I’m more like Him. And that comes through the tough process of reshaping my character. Strain One of my favorite things in this chapter, that I liked so much I read it to John, is a story he told about a time when he was under a lot of strain and one day God told him to pull his car over. God said, “My Son had strains that you will never know, and when He had those strains, He turned to Me, and that’s what you should do.” Several thoughts occurred to me about that quote: First, I think I tend to assume I know the strains that Yeshua endured because we have the “gospels” about His life. But, if I really think about it, there’s an awful lot missing from the gospels about His life. He lived a lot more than what we have there. There were probably a lot of times when Yeshua was strained that none of the gospel authors wrote about. Second, I need to stop trying to solve everything myself. I need to remember to let God be god. I wasn’t made to carry everything myself. I need to remember to turn to Him for help. And occasionally, turn to others in my community, too. I’ve realized that this is an area I struggle in. I’m okay at turning to God, but I really struggle with letting other people help me/us out. I don’t know if it’s pride, or if it’s awkward because I feel like I owe them something, or what it is, but I have a tough time with this. For example, Skip’s putting together a cruise for the people who read Today’s Word and I posted that I didn’t think we could go. Ostensibly my excuse is the boys (and yes, it makes me a little nauseous thinking about them getting close to the rails), but truthfully, we just can’t afford to pay for4 (or even 2) of us to go. I didn’t post that part because I don’t want people to think I’m asking them to pay for us to go. Yes, it would be nice to be able to go, but because it always seems to be the financial aspect that holds us back, I don’t want to raise the issue again. It’s probably pride. I don’t know. And last, knowing God’s will cannot be about controlling the future or minimizing risk. Desiring to control the future or minimize rise or secure safety/comfort may indicate a preoccupation with ME, instead of a focus on God.
I had the opportunity to participate in a webinar by Dr. Skip Moen on the topic of the Sabbath. It was really awesome! There were a couple of things he spoke about that I really liked. 1. Time, not a place, is sacred. It’s not as much a matter of where you are, but in that you let God intersect into your normal routine. 2. It’s about relationship. Relationships take place in time, which we have no control over. Sabbath restores our relationships primarily with God and also with our family. 3. Tranquility, serenity, and peace. That’s what Sabbath is for. Now, I did ask Skip about those of us with children. With my two wildly energetic children, there’s not much tranquility, serenity, or peace at any time. But Skip reminded me about how Yeshua pointed out the wonder and joy that children have in life and that Yeshua invited the children to be with Him and used them as examples for His disciples to emulate. So, taking my little monkeys to the playground and enjoying their enthusiasm isn’t breaking the Sabbath because it’s a reminder of the uninhibited joy of living that God intended for us all to have. And, while this doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll have a whole lot of peace or serenity, my children draw me closer to God in so many way. So, I’m excited to think that this is something I can do. Friday night, supper together to start Sabbath, and then spend Saturday together at home or at the playground. I’m thinking it would be a good opportunity to put aside the laptop, the computer, the X-Box 360, and the generic TV, and spend time playing together or watching Veggie Tales or Skip Moen’s Israel DVD, reading, and talking. Saturday night we could go to services at our church (yes, I know it’s not a messianic assembly, but we enjoy gathering with others). Then on Sunday we could run all the errands that we normally would run on Saturday. It’s doable. And it sounds refreshing. So, if I stop posting on Saturday mornings, it’s because I’m celebrating Sabbath. I’ll try and post Saturday night, if possible. Oh, and if you’re in the Orlando area, Skip Moen is speaking at St. Pauls Presbyterian Church in Ocoee/Gotha (across from the West Orange Mall) on Saturday night (6pm) and Sunday (9am and 11am I think). It’ll be awesome!
Exodus 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, [for] a perpetual covenant. As Christians, I think we have broken this covenant. Our sabbath is nothing like the sabbath in the Bible. Exodus 20:10 But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates We “celebrate” our version of sabbath on the 1st day (Sunday) rather than on the seventh day (Saturday). And Saturday is usually when we get all our chores done. I know in my household that’s usually the case. We rush around because it’s always been the one day between a busy work day and Sunday (when we usually go to church). So, our first issue is that our days are wrong. But the other question is what is work? Exodus 16:19 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. Here it says to stay home on the sabbath day. In the context of Exodus it may be more about going out to search for or gather food (manna), since God would provide enough for both days on the sixth day (Friday). We certainly don’t stay home on the sabbath. But, do Jewish people go to synagogue on Saturday? If so, how does that mesh with the not going out bit here? Or is that taking this out of context? Exodus 35:3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. So no fire building. I heard that in Israel their elevators stop on every floor on sabbath days so that the people don’t have to push a button and “kindle a flame” that sparks the electricity! So, cooking is out. What about other things that use electricity? Does electricity even count as fire? Psalm 92:1 [[A Psalm [or] Song for the sabbath day.]] [It is a] good [thing] to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: So singing on the sabbath wasn’t unusual! Yeah! I wonder what would happen if we were to do as He commands: Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, [From] doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy [day] of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking [your own] words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Maybe I’ll look at that tomorrow.
Hi! After the fun and craziness of yesterday, I’m exhausted. I think I’m working on a cold, too. Fun stuff! Here’s an interesting article about the Sabbath that I enjoyed. Read it here. >>>