The topic for this week's What's On Your Mind, '09 is "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy." How do you follow this commandment in today’s non-Sabbath world?
This is an interesting dilemma for me. I have been feeling for awhile now that Sunday's are the busiest day of the week for me. Here is my usual Sunday schedule:
1. 6 a.m. - Get up, shower and do my hair.
2. Study my lesson. (Even if I have spent hours preparing through the week, I still have to go over it on Sunday morning.)
3. Make breakfast for the family and get everyone up and to the table.
4. Finish dressing.
5. Depending on the day's menu, there is always kitchen prep work to be done before leaving for church.
6. 9:00 a.m. - Leave for church so as to be on time to greet students. We live approximately 35 minutes away from our church.
7. Teach
8. After morning worship, meet with the other board members to count the offering.
9. If I have no errands to run, then I rush home to make dinner. (Sunday is always a big family meal.)
10. Put up leftovers and prod children along to clean up kitchen.
11. 3:00 p.m. - Call my mom. (We always talk to each other every Sunday afternoon for 40-60 minutes.)
12. 4:00 p.m. - Take my Sunday afternoon nap. (This is the highlight of my "day of rest"!)
13. 5:00 p.m. - Get up and dressed again to leave for church.
14. 8:00 p.m. - Back home again, change clothes and see about getting a snack for everyone.
How do I make Sundays more restful? It seems like the best way to make it easier would be to cut out the big Sunday dinner. I've toyed with the idea of cooking Sunday dinner on Saturday and then just warming it up. But Saturdays are very busy for me, too.I've tried going out for dinner or buying takeout to bring home every week, but dinner for 5 can be expensive.
One friend suggested that I just have grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch. But I've spoiled my hubby and kids for over 20 years now making a big dinner.
To my credit, I don't do any other housework on Sundays other than cleaning the kitchen. I don't do laundry, or buy groceries. (Running into Wal-Mart to get something I forgot doesn't count, does it?) I don't believe in deliberately planning chores for Sunday. I don't want to mow grass or wash the car on Sunday. I certainly don't want to clean out the refrigerator on Sundays, even though that's the day you can really tell it needs it!
I think it comes down to whether you feel that the Lord expects you to obey a set of rules - what is and what is not allowed on Sundays.
Rather than rules, I think He wants us to focus on Him. Of course, He wants that everyday but especially on the Lord's Day.
If I'm all occupied with what I'm making for dinner, I'm not being focused on Him.
I think keeping the Sabbath holy means keeping Sunday "set apart" from your regular activity. Keeping my mind praising and worshiping Him. Having conversations with Him. Meditating on His Word.
It's a challenge -- one that calls for creativity in getting my list of Sunday activities whittled down to make room for worship. If you have any ideas for me, I'd love to hear them!
If you'd like to hear how others keep the Sabbath, visit Shane at Heart Reflections.
That's a very very busy day. But it sounds enjoyable :)
ReplyDeleteYikes! I totally missed What's on Your Mind today!
ReplyDeleteThe thing I do on Sundays is make cooking easy. We have left-overs for lunch, and I make a simple evening meal. Used to be frozen pizza every Sunday night, but not anymore. Evenso, I keep it simple.
What about crock pot cooking?
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating! =)
Great topic! We do not focus on eating on Sundays. Breakfast is very simple - cereal or toast. Often we fix a big breakfast after church or eat snacky foods:cheese, crackers, sliced turkey, & fruit, or a salad Sunday night is always popcorn and apples!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I like the idea of no chores on Sunday. Cooking is a dilemma though. When I was a kid we always ate out or had sandwiches, and we'd often have leftovers for dinner. That works pretty well for me now, but I could I can see how it would be expensive to go out with 5 people, and I know my husband sometimes complains about sandwiches too, so I could see how changing to sandwiches all of a sudden would raise some eyebrows with the family.
ReplyDelete