Taking A Sabbath Rest

Yesterday during worship at Camas Friends Church, Brad Tricola preached on the Exodus 16 passage about Sabbath. His message was in part about just how difficult it is to live up to the ideal of sabbath, even the Hebrews continued to gather on the day they were to take off. Taking a break is difficult to do, especially when we are so convinced that if we stop we may fall behind, or worse, get left behind. Brad’s message reminded us that Sabbath is not simply for us, but for God. It is an act of worship. A time when we are like our creator who also stopped and rested.

This summer has flown by for me. August and most of September were a blur. I found myself a couple of weeks back feeling “desperate” for a break. It was all too easy to begin skipping days off, filling them with “good and meaningful things.”  Some things were events I could have done better to hand off or not participate in, some were unavoidable or things I desired to be a part of. Even still, I began to feel so crowded out that stopping for a sabbath rest felt almost out of reach.

I was grateful for this last week when my dad and stepmom visit us. I took the week off and not only enjoyed catching up with them, but enjoyed just taking a break. It’s amazing what a little rest will do for the soul. I also found a good amount of time to enjoy our daughters. When life gets going so fast, it’s the little ones who seem to get lost in the shuffle the easiest. I was glad to reconnect with them last week and find my footing again.

If you’re feeling out of balance or desperate for a break, what needs to happen for you to take a sabbath rest?