“You have six days each week for your
ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 5:13, 14 (NLT)
You can learn a lot from dogs. We have
three, so we’re getting pretty smart! Well, maybe we’re just getting more
observant. Dogs really know how to rest. Shelby, whale of a Basset Hound that
John nicknamed, “Shelba-Potamus”, often takes her repose in Diana’s favorite chair.
I’ve found her more than once lying on her back, head almost falling off the
seat cushions, legs splayed every which-way, snoring like there’s no tomorrow.
Maddy the Mutt who showed up uninvited a year ago follows us into our room at
bedtime, does a 360-degree spin and plops down in a tight curl where she
remains for the night. Cherry the Dachshund is super neurotic, but even she
knows how to rest. She was lovingly bestowed on us by Brian and Silvia when we
lost our little Wendy. I’ve been thinking of calling Cherry “Che Gueverry”
because she is such a terrorist! But when she’s in the mood, she burrows under
the blanket or lays down next to us on the couch and develops “floppy-leg”
syndrome. You can move her legs around freely and she doesn’t care ‘cause she’s
in a happy doggie coma!
Now I’m not suggesting we flop around like
a bunch of dogs on the Sabbath day, but I do wonder if we really know what it
means to rest. The word, “Sabbath” means literally “cease”. Just stop. Stop for
one day doing all the regular things you have to do all the other days to make
your life work. Let the stress of surviving melt away; feel the tension of
managing your life melt away as God speaks to you in quiet whispers and
glorious melodies. Let go and let God – maybe that phrase ought to become our
new Sabbath motto. We can learn what it really means to rest as we learn to let
go and let God take over.
That’s what the Sabbath Day is about –
ceasing our six-day-a-week employment even as we relax in the Presence and
Security of God. The original 7th Day Sabbath Celebration wasn’t
about getting away from the rat-race because the first couple didn’t get worn
out from labor. It was about enjoying creation with the Creator. But after sin
ruined the Garden, human beings had to work in order to survive, and the
Sabbath Day became an insurance policy against total burnout. A few people
through history have actually learned to say, “T.G.I.S” (Thank God It’s
Sabbath!).
I believe God designed the Sabbath day to
be a portal into a “Sabbath Way of life”. It can teach us how to “let go and
let God” every day. It can help us learn how to trust in His care,
believe in His providence and accept the underserved “vacation” of Grace.
Because God wants us to have a life free from worry, full of joy, and
overflowing with love. Maybe that’s why He gave us dogs – I’m sure that’s the
reason He gave us the Sabbath.
T.B.
Think about it: Do you
really rest on the Sabbath day? Are you experiencing real “Sabbath” the rest of
the week?
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