Reality Steve meet Reality Sabbath

“By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.” Genesis 2:3-4 (MSG)

Will you play a little game with me? I say a word and you tell me the first thing that comes to your mind.

TIRED

…

REST

…

SABBATH

…

What were your words? Mine were

TIRED - YES!

REST - Sounds nice.

SABBATH - I wish.

For over three years I have used the rational that because I have kids I can no longer experience Sabbath. And it is true that this day of rest will not exist for me in the form it did pre motherhood but that doesn’t mean it needs to be void from my life. Over the last 6 weeks my eyes and heart have been reminded that having a Sabbath is vital and therefore I have been on a quest to figure out how to REALISTICAL apply it to my current life.

Let’s get a few reminders before we dig in. The original word for Sabbath was Shabbat. Our English interpretation of this word is rest. For the Jewish people Shabbat is considered a celebration day. On that day the Jewish people are FREE of regular everyday duties! This day can be spent in prayer, worship, time with family, etc. The point is to break free of things that keep you from time with your Creator.

Wow! I don’t know about you but the IDEA of being free of regular everyday duties once a week is exhilarating! But alas it is not realistic. Let’s face it I can’t look at my 18 month old and say “Change your own diaper it is my Sabbath.”

So the question I have been asking myself over the last six weeks is what can I do in my week to disconnect from the things that keep me from God? Here is what is working for me. 

1. Make a schedule and Deem it Holy

One of the 1^st things I learned about becoming a mom was about putting the baby on a schedule. It saved my sanity. I am learning the same to be true about Sabbath. For the Jewish people it was on a time table as well. Sun down on Friday night the clock started ticking. For me my clock starts at 11:45 p.m. on Sunday night. At that time I log out of all email accounts, log out of facebook and twitter, and shut down all computers in the house. Because of my work schedule I deem Monday my Sabbath and I have defined it as a rest from technology. No checking blogs, posting on facebook, looking at sales on Zulily. Emails can wait and the cyber world goes on without me. What I gain is quality and quantity time with my kids. They aren’t fighting me for my attention. I gain tuning pages in books and writing with pen and paper in my hand time and some weeks I simply nap. Giving myself a schedule with rules came with some ugly realizations about myself but I have settled into the rhythm nicely now.

2.  Force Yourself to Let Go.

Growing up we had a house cleaner. I can always remember my mom asking if I had cleaned my room for her. It was always super confusing to me. Today I get it. Sometimes prep work is important. If I want my Sabbath day to be good and to be a TRUE break from regular activities then I have to prep for it. Groceries need to be bought, dished out of the sink, laundry put away, toys fairly picked up, and a thought out plan for meals help. It takes some work but doing that prep is the only thing that allows me some freedoms from that to-do list that never ends. But on top of planning ahead I had to be able to LET GO!!! Have to – no other option here. For me nap/rest time for the kids is mission critical. But prior to setting Monday as Sabbath I used that nap time to hit “the list”. It was a mad rush to see how much I could crunch into those precious hours. Now I use that time to see how lazy I can be. It is fun. Some weeks I have been sinking into my comfy chair with a book, some weeks I hit my journal, but so far the winner has been taking my very own nap. What a concept!!! It would not happen if I wasn’t willing to let go and know that the list can wait.

3. Have Open Eyes.

I preach it but I don’t exactly practice it. I have always said God is in everything from washing dishes to the most incredible sunset. The nice thing about God is that you don’t have to go looking for Him. He is always there. What I have realized through creating a Sabbath day is that I just need to be on the lookout for Him. He is in the kids giggles, He is in the time we sit at the table and color, He is in the trip to the park that results in us running home because my three year is screaming that he has to poop. He is everywhere. I simply need to remember Him rather than finding myself caught up in the frustrations. It is easy? NOPE! It takes practice and thus the importance behind making sure we have consistent time to be with Him. I find it best said in God Is Here by Steve Case

“God is so far beyond our understanding that we can’t put into words what He is. If we want to connect with that…if we want to have a “union of the soul” with our Creator, then it’s going to happen when we put away the things that keep us down and simply open ourselves to the presence.”

It has been an interesting process to say the least and I am by no means an expert but I am learning. I am learning to create a space in my week, with motherhood surrounding me, simply to celebrate life and God.

Would love to hear how this works or doesn’t work in your life.