“For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.”- Exodus 31:17b

This was the verse that I SOAP(search blog for my info) journaled today.

If the God of the universe can cease working for a day then I think I can.  His work was a tad bit bigger and greater than my to do list.  I like that it said he stopped working.  Even if I am not finished- I need to choose to stop working for 24 hours.

It takes thought and serious effort to stop working because my tendency(like most humans) is to keep moving, producing, and working.

It takes effort to close my planner/to do list and keep it shut for 24 hours.

It takes effort and serious restraint to power off my phone completely.

It takes effort and will power to ignore that dirty toilet that begs to be cleaned.

It takes effort to let it go and just relax.

It takes effort to actually say no to an invite(Not that I have to but if my calendar is already so full- it is more life giving to sometimes say no so I can say yes to rest and my family).

All these things that I say no to make it possible to say yes to a day off.  I often hear, “There is no way I could take a whole day off.”  Trust me life will continue if you do.  A day off, taking Sabbath rest(search Sabbath for more posts on this) reminds us that we are not running this world and it is about trusting God to handle things.  Start small with a few hours and build up to it.

The purpose is to refresh your soul. It is a discipline that has provided so much peace for myself and my family.

Some weeks I foolishly give in to the demands around me(like keeping my phone on, overscheduling this day off) and at the end of the day- I honestly feel robbed.

So the next week I resolve to commit to keeping that day clear.  But I will never get that day back to rest.  It was a missed opportunity from God.  A missed blessing.  Sabbath is a gift and that week I choose not to receive it.

So I am fierce at sticking to it because it refreshes me.