I Flunked Sabbath

I flunked Sabbath this week.  Oh sure there are a million good excuses, but the bottom line is, I cooked (poorly I might add), I totally redid my bedroom, I swapped my winter wardrobe out for my summer wardrobe (and am now freezing to death by the by!) and I watched television to relax.

I did absolutely nothing edifying, nothing restful, nothing healthy...SIGH

I don't even understand why there is an "F" in the grading system frankly.  Why do we have A-B-C-D and then F!  Would an "E" not have been bad enough hanging there just below a "D"?  Must our world insist that when we fail at something it is so heinous that we have to go two letters beneath the last below average grade? Is it because Fail and Flunk both start with F so someone assumed that if you aren't bright enough to at least achieve a D- they better make it an "F" for Fail so the dimwitted realize they Flunked and their Future is Futile!?!

Oh sure some people say, we'll give you an "E" for effort, but those are usually grandmas and really nice people, who aren't in charge of grading you at all!  There's no "E" for effort.  THERE"S NO "E" FOR EFFORT!  (Read this like Tom Hanks in "League of  Their Own" please!..."there's no crying in baseball!")

This weekend we heard the story of Jesus forgiving Peter.  Peter who had just betrayed him 3 times.  In Luke it says after the third betrayal, Jesus turned and looked right at him.  Ouch...Oh Peter your heart must have broken and you must have felt like such a failure.  Then the Gospel of John gives us this resurrection story where Jesus pulls Peter aside to speak with him.  Can you imagine the shame and trepidation he must have been feeling?  But Jesus gives him 3 chances to answer yes, to the question, "Do you love me?"  One for each of the betrayals.

Jesus came  to turn all of our big fat "Fs" around.  No longer are we burdened with wearing the yoke of "FAILURE, but the joy of FORGIVENESS"  I still flunked Sabbath, but it is a gift that I can reclaim this week, and besides, Jesus has made it so "failure" is just a bump in the road, not a place I have to live!

Sabbath Gift

What happens if you don't rest as part of a workout program? 

1. Decreased performance. 2. Disinterest in exercise. 3. Mood changes. 4. Delayed recovery time.5. Elevated resting heart rate. 6. Fatigue. 7. Insomnia 8. Diminished appetite.  9. Fat gain. 10. Weakened immune system. 

What happens if you don't take a break from computer use?  

1.  Eye Strain or clinical dry eye can develop. 2. Neck and shoulder fatigue and injuries can occur. 3.  Weight gain is more likely. 4. The chance of depression triples.  5. Anxiety with life situations is increased. 6. Friendships and relationships suffer. 7. Back and hip pain increases. 8. Ulcers and digestive issues increase. 9. Insomnia. Weakened Immune system

What happens if you drive too long without taking a break?  

1.  Eye strain. 2. Accident and injury potential. 3. Shoulder neck and back injury. 4.  Mental fatigue and confusion

Are you seeing a pattern here? 

 I remember when I was little and was suppose to take a nap.  I HATED naps.  As an extravert my FOMO (fear of missing out) was already alive and well.  I can remember my grandma saying, "Oh I wish I could take a nap, you don't know how lucky you are!"  Well "lucky" is in the eye of the beholder sometimes.  I didn't feel lucky I felt like I wanted to be up!

As God assured Jeramiah, My plans for you are to prosper not to do harm,  grown ups give chikdren the gift of napping, because their little bodies need to recover, and as any parent can tell you, to make life easier for everyone involved. 

Our bodies cry out for rest

Our minds cry out for rest

Our spirits cry out for rest

The Lord of Sabbath has given us the answer.  Never forget Sabbath is a gift for our benefit!  Why wouldn't we do it?

I rise in anticipation of greeting you God, and I walk with your presence in mind, but the day races relentlessly towards me, and the time gets harder to find. The relationship I seek and long for, seems to traitorously slip away, while duties, obligations and labor, begin to fill up my day.

So noontime I think, will be time to pause, to commune with the Savior I love, and then lunch comes, and it goes, and I still haven't paused to worship the Almighty above. As evening approaches and the sun sets in the sky, and the quiet of night settles in, I think the end of the day will open the way to let my prayer time begin.

Then my head hits the pillow in exhaustion once more, I feel drained yet fitfully sleep, both body and soul deficient somehow because of the meeting I failed to keep.

You have given us a gift of Sabbath Rest, a gift I repeatedly choose to ignore. Yet when I seek your face, and dwell in you my life is so much more. You offer us time and grace and love, a respite from life's demanding drive.  So let me absorb the refreshment of Sabbath, so I may truly thrive.