A Sabbath Rest Diatribe

It's Sunday. A day of rest. A day of reflection. A day of worship.

What do we do with this day? Do I use this day as it was intended? Do I cram this day with tasks, practices, and chores like I do every other day? If so, no wonder I hit the ground on Monday exhausted. God did not intend it to be that way. He knew the importance of rest, and as a result told us that we needed to rest as well. He even made it one of the Ten Commandments. Am I so much smarter than God that I can say, "No...God, I think rest is really overrated. I think I am just fine burning my candle at both ends. I-don't-need-to-rest-thank-you-very-much." Wow. How presumptious on my part!?

Churches are especially bad at cramming things in on Sunday. We have showers, singing at nursing homes, meetings, two worship services, fellowship dinners, life groups, etc. all scheduled throughout the month on SUNDAYS. If this is a day of rest, why aren't we resting? Is it because if we aren't doing something, then we must be slacking or lazy or maybe we don't feel popular or needed because our calendar has an empty box? Who knows.

I do know one thing. I am not going to fall victim to this packing of "10 pounds of poo into a 5 pound bag" syndrome. Enough is enough. I am going to rest in the fact that God knows what he is talking about, and if a day of rest is good enough for God, then it's good enough for me.

Amen.
(Queen steps off her soapbox, does a deep curtsey, and quietly walks off the stage)