Words
to ponder … Sabbath … Morrow Mirror, September
22, 2013
I will be writing over the next few weeks about Sabbath. When I
say Sabbath, I am not talking about Sunday morning worship. I am talking about
rest: a much-needed time for healing as well as a time for nourishing our
souls. Without this time-this time for rest-our spirit, soul and physical self suffers.
I sometimes wonder if the world
has lost its way because humanity does not embrace the Sabbath. I am concerned
not because we are disobedient, but because our spirits suffer. Therefore, my
discussion is rooted in Exodus 20:8-11, which says in part, “The seventh day
is a day of rest.”
Wayne Muller, author and spiritual director, began his book ‘Sabbath’1
with these words: “In the relentless busyness of modern life, we have
lost the rhythm between work and rest.” I believe most of us would agree
with Muller. We have no balance because the idea of resting has been swallowed
up by our desire to succeed. This is fed by the cultural norm that tells us to
succeed at whatever the cost. ‘I am to ‘busy’ becomes the greeting of the day.
2
We even lift our busyness up to each other as a badge of honor; “I
am so busy I don’t have time to… so how can I rest?” I have come to realize
that we are all busy and if we want some sense of normality in our lives,
whatever normal is then we have to realize that we will not get everything accomplished
we want to accomplish in any given day. Life is busy and we have allowed this
to happen and because of our busyness we have forgotten the Sabbath, or maybe
more to the point to recognize its value. As people of faith, we need to plan
and schedule Sabbath time.
“Remember the Sabbath and keep in holy” is not just a mandate to give God praise, but
a call to rest and to take care of our spiritual and physical health.
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