Time to Exhale

Today's Unglued Blog Update

As usual...I'm just mainly putting what Lysa has said in her book with some (very little--actually maybe not at all today) of my own insight/thoughts.

 

Sabbath rest has always been part of God's plan for His people:

"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 doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 58:13-14)

 

Sabbath is the time set aside for my soul to breathe. Really breathe. So much of my daily life is inhaling, inhaling, inhaling -- taking so much in & holding my breath hoping I can manage it all. But I can't just inhale. I must also exhale -- letting it all out before God & establishing a healthier rhythm by which to live.

 

I love that God wants us to rest. I love that He's not just interested in what I do but also in making sure I don't get burned out. God reminds me to Sabbath so I'll have a new rhythm in my everyday. This is one twenty-four-hour period to disrupt my typical rhythm so I'll be set up to find my joy in the Lord.

 

When I'm coming unglued, I feel like I've lost my joy. Anything that will help me find joy, especially soul-resonating "joy in the LORD," sounds good to me. My soul exhales with one long "Yes!" If this is what I want -- to find my joy in the Lord -- the Bible makes it clear that rest is key. I must slow down. Stop. Pause. Yes, I am called to rest.

 

But I am also called to reflect. If I am honoring the Lord's holy day, I'm called to rest from three things:

- Going my own way;

- Doing as I please;

- Speaking idle words.

 

How this looks for me might be different from how it looks for Lysa. But God is much more concerned with the attitude of my heart than the actual activity of my body on the day of Sabbath. I must absolutely avoid the crippling effects of legalism by which I pride myself in following rules, all the while missing out on actually following the Lord. The apostle Paul reminds me:

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Mood celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, emphasis added)

 

The Scriptures remind us that the reality of true Sabbath is found in Christ. In Him I see a picture of grace. And in grace I can be vulnerable enough to be completely honest with myself about myself. Completely honest.

 

Stay tuned for my next Unglued Blog Update....more on Sabbath