Fighting For the Sabbath

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

Taking time for a Sabbath can seem like just one more thing to add to the to-do list. Between doing homework, going to meetings at work, driving to basketball practice, making dinner, and getting the kids to bed at a semi-reasonable hour, it seems like "Taking time to rest" is just another thing we'll get around to someday when we have the time. And that time is definitely not now. 

People in Nehemiah's day may have felt like didn't have the time for a Sabbath either. Though the details of their daily lives likely looked much different than ours do today, they were probably still busy going to work, raising families, making food, and more. When Nehemiah came back into town and stopped the merchants and sellers from doing their thing on the Sabbath, more than just the merchants and sellers were probably upset. "We're busy!" the people may have cried. "We have things to do, so let us do them when we want to!" 

Unfortunately for them, Nehemiah understood the benefits of taking a Sabbath, and not only that, he was prepared to make it happen. He knew sometimes it's worth fighting for what matters, and the Sabbath was just that. It wasn't that the activities the merchants and sellers were involved in were objectively wrong, but that the Sabbath was not the day to do them. The Sabbath was to be respected, set apart, and guarded, all to the end of making space for the people to have their hearts changed to crave God. 

I don't think these messages on rest are Pastor Dirk's attempt at making a unilateral decision of how the idea of taking a Sabbath should look in each person's life. He did, however, offer some great starting points we should all be taking a close look at and deciding how they might look for us. For me, an electronic pause is something I am sorely in need of, yet my fear of being disconnected often holds me back. Coincidentally (or not, as I suspect God has a sense of humor about things like this), the day before I heard this message I spilled water on my laptop, taking it completely out of commission for a few days and partially out of commission for at least a few days more. It wasn't a complete electronic pause, and it wasn't one I chose for myself, but I still found it to be beneficial. I did things I don't do as much of when Netflix, Facebook, and Pinterest are ever-present options, and it was a valuable reminder that breaks are important and beneficial. 

Taking a Sabbath may not be a comfortable experience, at least at first. We may have to fight for the space to Sabbath and become okay with setting aside good things for what will be the best thing. It may take planning, getting creative, and learning to be uncomfortable in our rest, but in the end, fighting for the Sabbath can put us in a place of being open to what God has for us.

[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She loves Christmas and can be found spreading Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear. You can read more of her musings on her own blog or follow her on Twitter @bwitt722.]