Sabbath.

Not a word we hear much in Christianity anymore. I think our lives are so hectic and crazy, we've forgotten that taking a "sabbath" is actually a commandment from God.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work... for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth... but he rested on the seventh day." Ex. 20:8-11

I realize that even though we don't use the word "sabbath" often it's not a new concept to us, but most sermons I've heard about Sabbath focus on our need to take a rest. We talk about the importance of re-creating ourselves so we are prepared to do God's work the following week. As though God couldn't continue His work unless we had that rest... But I was struck with another perspective about Sabbath as I've been reading Louie Giglio's book, i am not but i know I AM.

He points out that Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day of creation and then immediately there was rest...

"Adam and Eve were feeling fine. They weren't stressed-out, overwhelmed, road-weary, overworked, vacation-starved, frazzled, worn down, bleary-eyed, over committed, or spent. Why would they possibly need a rest day this early in the game?

But maybe it was God who needed a break. After all, He was the one who had done all the creative work. Maybe He was the one who needed a rest. Right?

Wrong.

God wasn't the slightest bit tired on Day Seven. Making the world wasn't too much for him. In fact, God simply spoke and the world came into being. God felt the same on Day Seven as he had before He invented time and space."

It wasn't because Adam and Eve needed a rest. And it certainly wasn't because He needed a rest. God commanded Sabbath in order to teach us something about Himself... He wanted Adam and Eve to acknowledge and forever remember on each forthcoming Sabbath all the things He created, He put into place and motion, He kept in control, before they even showed up! He wanted Adam and Eve, and us, to know that He had already done it all long before we were there to offer our advice and suggestions or get our hands in it and meddle around.

Because it's so easy for us to think that we're the ones keeping it all together, right? The inability to take a Sabbath rest is really telling God that He is not doing a good enough job. He won't be able to take care of things if you let it go. That we are better than Him at handling things. We put ourselves under the weight of doing it all.

"The weight of trying to make yourself bigger than you are -- of trying to figure out how to run your life on your own, of always trying to determine the outcome, control the relationship, close the deal, run the show, hold it all together, know the future, protect your interests, build your kingdom -- the weight of playing the role of God in your life and the lives of those around you."

(For me, it's constantly wondering if I'm raising my children right or am I doing something that will turn them completely away from God in their adult years.)

"But be encouraged. Today is Sabbath. It may not literally be Sunday, but Sabbath is a state of mind and attitude of the heart. Sabbath happens anywhere and everywhere we let go of the controls and lay the cares of our lives at His feet.

So, where is your future right now? Where is the outcome of your pressing dilemma? Is it in the hands of the businessman on the other side of the conference table? Is it in the hands of the boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse? In the hands of a team of doctors?

Or, is your life, and all that concerns you, in the hands of the God who constructed the universe effortlessly in one week?

If you want more rest and less 'stressed' declare this very moment to be your Sabbath -- the place where you pry your fingers off of the circumstances and people you are trying so desperately to control, the place you discover that life really does work better in His hands instead of yours..."

Happy Sabbath day, everyone!

*all quotations are from Louie Giglio's book i am not but i know I AM unless otherwise stated

If you're at all like me, - a momma that has lots of little 'uns running around, demanding attention all day - then you find it hard to get consistent, quality quiet-time with the Father. I've heard rumors of women out there who get it done (like at 5am before everyone is awake) but I think it's a myth. We've had glimpses of them in books with outlined plans and such, kind of like those fuzzy videos of Sasquatch, but no true evidence exists.

Yes, getting up thirty minutes earlier to spend time in worship would probably make my day go better. But I'm also a very grumpy momma when I don't get sleep.

Yes, I should go to bed earlier then. But my husband is a night owl and if I want to really talk with him, that's when it happens.

Yes, time with God should be my priority, but sometimes my priority, by default, becomes the sick kid that needs cuddles or a husband that needs... well... we'll refer to that as "cuddles" too.

And yes, I should probably stop blogging and go read my Bible.

Okay, I feel guilty enough, people!

But I discovered something recently, thanks to Louie Giglio , that has helped me think about the Word of God all day, even when I don't have time for a long sit down. He refers to it as the "One Word A Day Study." If there is a verse that God keeps bringing to your mind, then take the time to dwell on one word a day from the verse until you are done with the verse. I'm not talking about getting out your Hebrew-Greek Bible or even cross-referencing scripture (although, do that if you have the time). It's allowing God to speak to you, one word at a time, through one verse that He has already put on your heart.

The verse that kept popping up for me was Hebrews 4:16 ~ "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need." A verse I've heard over and over through the years, but lately has been on my mind. So, I thought I would try this One Word A Day Study on it and this is what I have found.

Day 1/let - "let" signifies there is someone else allowing the approach to the throne, it's not of my own independence. someone who is in authority (God) is granting access to the throne. "letting" someone do something means letting them make the choice if they want to or not. they are not being forced. Access to the throne is granted by God's authority, but I am not forced to go.

Day 2/us - "us" is inclusive. it means all of us who trust in Christ's complete work on the cross may approach the throne of grace. not those of "us" who haven't sinned in awhile. not those of "us" that didn't yell at their kids today or wished their life turned out a bit different. All of us, regardless of where we have been or what we have done, have access to the throne of grace. Some days, I need to know I can enter no matter what!

Day 3/then - At first, I was thinking, what am I going to learn from the word "then"? But I remembered some of my grammar training and "then" always means "if this, then this" so I looked at the context of the chapter and realized, this is really the crux of the entire verse! The verse prior says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are..." The whole reason we can approach the throne of grace with confidence is because Jesus Christ himself has been where we are! He gets it! He understands! There is nothing we can say before the throne that isn't understood!

Day 4/approach - nothing significant about the word itself stood out to me. "approach" means what it means. go up to something. But as I thought through the day, I was acutely aware of and thankful for the invitation to be in the presence of God. I am SO thankful! The throne room is always open!

Day 5/the - a simple word, right? not too significant. but it's the throne of grace. not a throne of grace. or any throne of grace. It is THE throne of grace, THE one where sits the High King of Heaven who listens to our babblings, pleas, cries and when we remember them, our praises and adoration.

And today is Day 6... I'm excited about 21 more days of this...

I can't say every day will be significant. Tomorrow is "of"... hmmm... But the Words spoken by God are constantly on my heart, in the forefront of my mind and I love that. And this verse will be forever committed to memory! I know the day will come when my children are more self-sufficient and consistent quiet-time will return. But right now, I am so thankful God meets me where I am at and gives me what I need, even if it's one word at a time...

And if you're one of those super-moms with lots of little kids who does get up at 5am, I don't want to hear it cause you'll just squelch the encouragement I'm feeling right now. Comparing myself to others: we'll discuss that at a later date.

Looking for some feedback here...

I am a very blessed woman. One of those blessings is having a mother I can sit down with over a cup of tea and really talk. Almost no topic is off limits. No display of emotion is taken offensively. Everything goes! I got to spend last week with my mom and as always, conversation flowed.

One thing we discussed is how does one stand by their convictions without being judgmental? This is a question I've been asking myself for about a year now, especially as Patrick and I have become more and more passionate about family discipleship and it's meant a lot of lifestyle changes for us. A lot of rethinking the way we do things. I think I am afraid that accepting others' way of doing things "weakens" my conviction.

So, what does it look like to embrace your God-given convictions, without having a swayed by the wind, whatever-is-right-for-you-may-not-be-right-for-me attitude, but still be gracious, accepting and understanding of those who do things differently from you?

I'd really like to hear back from the two of you that read my stuff...