Sabbath

I write this so that those of you who know me well may hold me and Geoff accountable and because it may be a good reminder to those of you who tend to hurry through the day and through life and rarely take time to rest. Our youth pastor preached a great sermon yesterday entitled "Snow Day," which of course was very relevant considering the weather we've had lately, but what he was really wondering is if any of us have actually taken a snow day lately - a day to "cease from that which is necessary and to embrace that which gives life." To rest from the things that consume us the other 6 days of the week, he gave us 5 principles for practicing the Sabbath:

1. Stop (because God has asked us to)
2. Unplug (while this is not directly from Scripture, are we taking a break from technology that often consumes us, interrupts conversations and what could be special moments?)
3. Rest (God rested on the 7th day - if the Creator of the world can rest and know that the world will still go on, shouldn't we?)
4. Delight (make the day one of spending time with friends, family and feasting)
5. Contemplate (contemplation of God should be the most important part of the Sabbath day)

So, yesterday we changed our plans a bit. We went into church early for Growing Kids God's Way which ended up being cancelled. So, instead we hung around the church office a bit, talked to a few of our pastors and their family and decided to just go sit somewhere for an hour before church started. Not much was open because of the snow, but we made our way to Panera to share a cinnamon roll and just talk. Sometimes it's those 30 minutes of time with my husband that matter so much.

Church was delightful as the sanctuary was not full but people were excited to be there (and I think just out of the house!). We moved out of our "assigned" row and down to the front where we spoke with people we rarely get to see. And after the awesome sermon preached by Pastor Daniel we headed to Five Guys. You see, on the way in that morning we passed it, and I said to Geoff "If they open today, we're going to spend $15 from our budget and go." It's been one of the must-haves during my pregnancy. I mentioned this to Judith, our pastor's wife, and it sounded good to them, so they came, too. And with them they brought one of our missionary families home from Niger, another missionary from Niger and a few others. So, we had a party in Five Guys! Pastor Carter and I swapped UVA stories while Geoff made a weak attempt to prove why his school was better, and we were also blessed to hear some really awesome God stories from one of our Niger missionaries. This hour and a half with friends was worth way more than any tasks that Geoff or I had planned to complete that afternoon.

We came home and rested a bit and then headed to Lacey and David's for the superbowl. It was great to be with fun, loving and caring women that I know love me for me (Lacey, Emily and Renee - I love you girls!). It was a great way to end what was already a perfect day.

I realize (and hope that I remember), Mary-Michael's nursery will get done, the house will get clean and the things on my to-do list will get crossed off - eventually. It may not be in my time, but I'm not gaining anything from hurrying through life. So, learn it from an expert multi-tasker - take a moment, slow down and rest.