Sabbath Rest

I’m writing in a new journal that asks questions, and while these are not always to my liking, they do make me think. Today’s question: What is your favorite way to relax and rejuvenate yourself? This led me to think of changes over the years in our Sabbath habits.

Rest on the Sabbath is a command, but we’ve adjusted that to our desires. As a child and teen, our family restricted activities on Sunday. Mother and Dad prepared on Saturday for a more restful Sunday. Mother cooked the meal ahead and had only to warm it up when we returned from church. On Saturday Dad polished all the family shoes. They worked together on home-made ice cream as our supply for the week’s desert. We kids made sure we had clean clothes and chose what we’d wear on Sunday.

We attended worship service Sunday morning and youth group at night. We were not restricted about such things as watching sports on TV, reading Sunday comics in the newspaper, or playing outside. But we did no “work,” and that included sewing which I loved to do. We rarely went out for Sunday dinner – then or later when Bill and I were married. Most afternoons I curled up on the couch with the dog for a nap, special for Sundays.

Now in Indy, we are relaxed about observing what’s “work.” Becky prepares a special nourishing dinner while Bill and I wait (not to his liking ;-). I often think ahead about what I’ll do on Sunday afternoons: make cards, write letters, color, read. Since we have no evening worship service, I would prefer not to cook supper and have only popcorn and ice cream, but that’s not Bill’s choice. Over the years our Sabbath rest has changed, except for the priority of worship service.