A Day to Honor

I sit here on a Sunday afternoon, astounded by the ways that God is working in my life. He speaks to my heart again and again, and each time He provides confirmation that it is Him and not just me making things up on my own. God is still speaking to His people today and it is a beautiful thing. I have been a complete and utter wreck that past couple of weeks but at the same time I have been at peace. At peace with what God is doing, knowing that He is working on my heart. Do you ever have those times where it just seems like one thing after another? I am not kidding when I say that this semester has been exactly like that. Every time I think things possibly could not get any worse, they do. Instead of always looking at it negatively I am trying to take all of these lessons and experiences and run with them. If I have to go through this, I am going to learn from it. If I have learned anything, it has been about commitment and relationships. Not with just your typical guy-girl relationship (although that has been thrown in there) but also about my relationship with Christ. I am committed to Him like I have never been committed to anything before. Despite everything and anything, I cling to him for dear life. I want to spend my time in complete worship to Him. I feel like a broken record, all of my posts have been about just this. I just can't say it enough!

I really do have a real message here that I want to write about. It has been something that God has placed on my heart and so now I am actually acting on it. As I have said time and time again this semester has been insane and I am literally at the end of my rope. Needless to say, I am tired. I came back to my room after my Organic final last night and my brain was literally shut down. I did not know what to do when I got back to my room. I knew I was not going to do any more studying, but even watching a movie or playing bubble spinner was too much to handle. Anyways, the past few weeks I have just been so tired of school, of emotions running haywire, relationships, you name it. Physically and emotionally, I am drained. So I got to thinking about how I can combat such feelings. Let's face it, even when I take the time on Friday and Saturday nights to relax, I always feel guilty because I have thoughts of all the work that needs to be done swimming in my head. I then realized that my rest and relaxation need to come from the Lord, but how? And then it hit me...Sunday! We have been given the Sabbath to stop worrying about all the work that needs to be done and to rest in the Lord. Only He can truly fill us and refresh us.

So I started talking to some of my friends that take Sunday's off. A day that is usually filled with studying for the week ahead, they spend resting. The idea just sounded so appealing to me! A day that I would not have to feel guilty for, to take all of the time I need to slow down and glory in the Lord. As a result I have been wrestling with this thought for a few weeks. Do I give up my Sunday's? I do my devotions every day, is that not enough? Thinking about all the extra work I would have to do on Friday's and Saturday's to make up for it made this idea seem unreasonable and unappealing. But of course God kept knocking on my heart until I finally heard Him. This morning I got confirmation that this truly was something He has placed upon my heart, and if I listen to Him I am going to be blessed beyond belief.

I debated about whether or not I should go to church this morning because I work up later than usual and I would have to go alone this week. I finally made up my mind to go, and it was a good thing I did. Because wouldn't you know that the message this very morning concerned rest and honoring the Sabbath. I almost fell over in my chair because it was the very message I had been waiting to hear. Not only did the message speak directly to me this morning, going to church alone ended up being a blessing in and of itself. I was sitting alone when this couple came and sat next to me. I started talking to them, telling them about my plans for the summer and they told me a little about themselves. The girl that I met, pretty sure her name was Erin, asked me after church if she could pray for me. So we sat there for ten minutes after the service praying together. Even though we just met she was such an encouragement!

Back to my thoughts concerning the Sabbath day. We have been commanded to obey the Sabbath and there is no doubt that we are blessed when we honor the Lord's day. Taking the time to rest is not a suggestion but a commandment (Exodus 20:8)! In this busy world it is not easy to take time off. It may sound like a bit of an oxymoron but you have to work in order to find rest. It's not just going to come to you, you must consciously make the decision to give a day up to the Lord.

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not going as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride of the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
Isaiah 58: 13-14

So from now on, that is going to be my aim. I have a final tomorrow night at 7:00 but I am not going to begin studying until tomorrow morning. I think that 12 hours should be more than enough time, but it is still a bit daunting not to be studying today. I don't know what else this implies, it is probably different for each individual. Should I no longer go out on Sunday's? What about going out to breakfast? Because then I am causing other people to work on the Sabbath on account of me. This is something I am going to be meditating on and bringing before the Lord, asking Him to personally convict me. I am confident that by turning to Him, He is going to teach me how to properly worship Him on the Sabbath.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-29