Fake It Til You Make It

I have a friend who talks about the Sabbath and a how he was raised to honor the Sabbath. The Sabbath is defined as a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jewish people from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday. If you are like me, we know that "remembering the Sabbath day" is one of the Ten Commandments but it stops there. God clearly states that we are to take a Sabbath. Genesis 2: 2-3, "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that he had done." It is a gift!

I believe God gave us a day of rest to help us flourish. We are to be wise stewards of our time, not just money. We should use our time to please Him. I had a friend who did a Bible study during Lent instead of giving something up. She explained that she was giving up her time and using it to please God. When we stay in a steady practice of honoring the Sabbath, we do not get to the point of having to fake it til we make it. Psalm 30: 5, "...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."

I only began resting on Sundays a few years ago. It took a long while before I didn't have guilt from my inner roommate reminding me of what I could be doing. My Sabbath day includes church, rest, time outdoors, quiet time, writing and being still. People who honor the Sabbath say there is no other practice that has reset their mind and heart like observing the Sabbath. God speaks to us during our time of rest. A chance to rest. An opportunity to trust. An invitation to experience His faithfulness. Who doesn't want that?!