Take Five

On Monday I read about Sunday but it took until Tuesday to write.  Deuteronomy 5:12-15 is God's  commandment to observe the Sabbath.  It seems like the longest commandment with the most comprehensive list of who and why.   The list of the "who" is basically everybody, even the outsiders.

The main point is to keep one day holy to remember God's deliverance. Yet in today's world we think we own Sunday.  "It's my only day to sleep in."  "It's my day for family."  "It's the only day I can clean my house."  Some of us do relegate a couple of hours to the "holy" part by attending church.  I even admit that years ago, Sunday afternoon was my day to organize meals and my calendar for the upcoming week.

When I was young I remember when the stores in Missouri finally made the decision to be open on Sundays.  "In the old days" stores and businesses were closed on Sunday.  But the Missouri merchants were losing business to the merchants across the state line so they eventually changed their policy.  My mother commented that she felt sorry for all those people who now were going to have to work on Sunday.

God owns Sunday, not us.  He owns all the days and He just lets us use them.  He asks that once a week we stop and remember what He has done for us.

This past Sunday I was up early to finish a quilt project so I could clean up my family room.  Then I was off to walk at the Y and stopped into the grocery store to pick up a few items I forgot on Saturday. (Thanks and apologies to those people who had to work Sunday morning so I could accomplish those tasks.)   After church, I made dinner in the crock pot, made a cake and had lunch.  I sat with the puppies for a quick nap, had friends over for a chat, then cleaned up, ran the dishwasher and sat with the puppies for a nap.  I usually enjoy that puppy time but I kept getting up to do something.  Each time I got up I had to move cute little Molly's head out of my lap.

The next morning as I read about observing the Sabbath I thought back to Molly.  When my friends and I sat around the table chatting Molly sat in my lap.  She didn't try to chew on me or look for food on the table.  She just wanted to sit in my lap.  The time I spent in the chair with the puppies, she just wanted to have her head in my lap.  Molly just wanted to be with me.  She had Mickey, toys, bones and other people to distract her but she wanted to be in my lap, just to be in my lap.

Molly reminded me I need to take time to just sit with God and remember.  When I reflect on what God has done in my life, I will be joyful and refreshed.   I may have a thousand items on my "to do" list but without the recharging of the Sabbath rest, I will not finish the list.

Molly reminded me that I need to "take five" minutes or more just to be with God.  Time spent with God is time well spent.  We make the deadlines and timelines.  In the scope of eternity, just how important are those tasks on this day's list?

In today's world, I'm not sure we can go back and have the whole community observe the Sabbath.  I plan to be more consistent in making more of the Sabbath holy and maybe making more time in my everyday life for reflecting on what God has done for me.