"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

and the Lords holy day

honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." 

 Isaiah 58:13-14

Has this verse ever come to your attention before?  I must admit that even though I've known the Lord for 29 years, I don't think I've ever really seen this before!  I've always known of the Exodus 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy..." but this one is new to me.  It came to our attention as we read the book, Elsie Dinsmore recently aloud with the children.  We all were rather curious at Elsie's strict scruples of Sabbath day activity.  I know in "olden days" puritans and pioneers treated the Sabbath quite differently than other days.   I have no intent on debating what is and is not acceptable activity, so as to avoid the trapping that the Pharisees fell into when Jesus rebuked them with "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).    

I believe it was in reading Nancy Wilson's Praise Her in the Gates that I first began to really give thought to making our family's Sabbath day a celebration, something anticipated and set apart from the rest of the week.  Not in any way onorous or restrictive but reflective and springing from a desire to rejoice in the Lord.  I had to admit when I looked at our day it was often more tiring than the rest partly due to my lack of organization with the family.  The thought of doing "more" to make it special seemed overwhelming. 

One practical way I began to implement the dawning of this new idea was to prepare in advance for Sunday with clothes and meals.  Sunday morning, as anyone with children and babies can attest, can be a real scramble and was often anything BUT a delight.  Getting fed, clothed, bags prepped and Bibles gathered is a real feat!  And doing it all with equanimity and a graceful spirit is even more so--one I failed at frequently!  I began setting out clothes Saturday night or afternoon, everyone's items down to socks, belts and shoes.  I also began setting out the diaper bag and sippy cups, making sure things were stocked and cleaned.  Getting to bed earlier Saturday night was also key.  These preparations alone did wonders for our Sunday morning.  Children were dressed easily and no one was scrambling.  And Momma was smiling at Daddy! 

Food is another way to set the tone of the day.  I try to serve a hearty breakfast of oatmeal with cream and brown sugar and perhaps muffins, so tummies aren't grumbling halfway through the morning.  Having a favorite easy breakfast that everyone relishes is a great way to start the day.  I also try to plan to let my Crock Pot do the cooking for later meals.  A little planning earlier in my week for the Sunday meal is a real investment.  Coming home to a house full of the savory aromas of roast and veggies or something tasty delights the whole family.  We often prepared extra so we could invite folks over spontaneously after church, practicing hospitality.  Another dimension of taking delight...in our family of God. 

Activities for the rest of the day usually vary, but always include naps...er--REST, for everyone, Mom and Dad included!  I'd love to say we gather around the piano for hymn singing, that would delight me, but we're not there yet!  Daddy may get out his guitar and jam forth with "Jailhouse Rock" (Elsie might not approve) and Psalty's "Don't build your house on the Sandyland" followed by other praise songs....but that's us.  Dad keeps the zany and fun going. 

So how bout you?  How do you "call the Sabbath a delight?"  I'd love to hear ideas on making this day "set apart" and holy all the while delighting in and honoring our Savior.  Have a wonderful Sabbath! 

Warmly in Him,

Christa

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Today during our "rest time" in the afternoon I continued reading in a little devotional book of Puritan prayers called, The Valley of Vison. I thought I would share it here today...

O God whose will conquers all,

There is no comfort in anything apart from enjoying thee

and being engaged in thy service;

Thou art All in all, and all enjoyments are what

to me thou makest them, and no more.

I am well pleased with thy will, whatever it is,

or should be in all respects,

And if thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair,

I would choose to refer all to thee,

for thou art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss,

as I am in danger of doing.

I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,

and it delights me to leave them there.

Then prayer turns wholly into praise,

and all I can do is to adore and bless thee.

What shall I give thee for all thy benefits?

I am in a strait betwixt two, knowing not what to do;

I long to make some return, but have nothing to offer,

and can only rejoice that thou doest all,

that none in heaven or on earthy shares thy honour;

I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed name,

but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee,

I know that thou art the author and finisher of faith,

that the whole work of redemption is thine alone,

that every good work or thought found in me is the effect

of thy power and grace,

that thy sole motive in working in me to will

 and to do is for thy good pleasure.

O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much

about man's creaturely power and goodness,

when, if thou didst not hold us back every

moment, we should be devils incarnate.

This, by bitter experience, thou hast taught me

concerning myself. 

   This prayer is such a wonderful reminder for me...that I needn't strive so much.  Things are in His capable hands, "...and I can leave them there."  So often we try to take our worries and nurse them.  How often are my prayers turned "....wholly into praise"?  When have I left out my to-do list for my "Master" and just praised Him only?   I love the part..."I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee."  If I would but do this very thing every morning, how positively different my days might be!  Also a shining pearl in there is the thought that anything good in me is the result of His working for His pleasure...and I would be as dismal as the basest pagan if it were not for him.  There is no room for pride.  He is truly the All in all. 

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Outside...

So many of our mothering duties are in the indoor realm.  But my spirit is always refreshed when I go outdoors and take in God's creation.  Psalm 19 says,  "The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the works of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech.  Night after night they display knowledge."  When we gaze up close at the marvelous things he has created or listen to the sounds of the birds...we can sense the goodness of Him.  "And God looked at all he had made and said, 'It is very good.'"  Take your children out of doors today and have a nature scavenger hunt.  You could make a list of possible things to be sighted or found and let them check off the list.  Take a picnic blanket on the lawn and do your reading aloud with them.  Lie on the trampoline and watch the clouds together. Take your coffee out to the deck or porch during naptime and soak in God's Word or read a good book.  Enjoy Him!

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     "Hear, O Israel!  The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

You shall love the LORD you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

     "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.   You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

                                                                      Deut 6:4-9

"Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps his covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments."  Deut 7:9

       It is good to come through a time of doubt.  Though they don't come often, it would be unrealistic to say they never do.  Uncomfortable though it was, I was really ministered to by friends here at HSB and also went to God's word for renewal and refocusing.  My key scriptures are those above that put into focus our family's vision.    Our life is not about putting checks in the boxes for academics but is about loving God with all of our hearts and introducing our children to this great God each day with the goal of raising the next generation He's entrusted us with for Christ and His kingdom! 

     At our Bible study on Thursday night, we were reviewing what we'd gleaned from our study on the life of David.  Both in Saul's and David's life, when God called them to the great responsibility and mission to be king of his people, they were both being obedient to a humble calling.  Saul was out searching for his father's lost donkeys.  He was obedient to his father and doing what he might have considered a rather mundane thing.  David was doing his family duty as the youngest to shepherd a floch of smelly, ignorant sheep.  The principle I gathered from this facts is that God's mission seems to germinate in the lowly.  We are to be obedient in the humble nonglamorous things in life while keeping our eyes on the eternal! 

      Discipleship is in the forefront.  Being faithful to the calling he put on my heart.  And as far as academics goes, I had slipped into the assembly line deception.  That's the philosophy that a child must make it through the "factory" of childhood having visited all the right places to have all the right parts screwed on.  ie: He learns science because I screwed on this or that lesson.  In reality, by teaching them to read and reading great things to them, they will become lovers of reading.  By showing them how to find information during our days, they will know how to learn the things they need to as they go on in life.  By memorizing Scripture, they will be hiding God's word in their hearts. 

   If for no other reason, perhaps God used my moment of discouragement to unleash the battery of wisdom He's imparted to fellow bloggers.  If you are experiencing Satan's fiery darts of doubt in hsing or just want to read some great insights...read the comments under my last blog.  They were all so motivational!  Here's a wonderful concluding thought from one of those comments by hskubes: 

   "Remember God doesn't call the qualified... He qualifies the called. He has called you to do this and He will equip you with all that you need to fulfull His calling.
1 Corinthians 15:57 ~
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

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     I have to say that one of the most fascinating things to witness is the budding of friendship between little people.  There are defining moments when they "discover" each other.  I caught some of those on camera recently.  Suddenly the baby of the family is a viable playmate for the older sibling next in line...and the sparkle is reciprocated when that littlest one begins to imitate the older one. They both discover a new dimension of entertainment and enjoyment in the other and seem to share a secret language.  Here are Jamie and Suza in a birth of friendship moment.  It is especially gratifying since up till now J has seen S as more of a threat to his things or his time with Mama. 

       Another reason these moments speak to my heart is that they are such a clear confirmation that children really do benefit from having siblings.  Friendships in the family should be the best and most lasting of our lives.  Yet, I admit I wish I were closer with my own siblings.  I was the oldest...somewhat independent, bookish.  While I cherish many fond memories with my two younger brothers and baby sister (11 years younger) I wish I'd been more home-centered in high school.  Not so consumed with my world of school, marching band, ballet, a part time job and even my youth group, though it was a great catalyst for spiritual growth.  None of those things were wrong, but they were all about me.  Ironically I joined Tri-High-Y, a service organization in school and traipsed away from home and family to earn my hours to keep that "status."  My friendships and time within the walls of my own home diminished vastly, where I could have been serving my parents, my siblings, and learning a myriad of home skills I wish I'd had upon entering marriage.  And that precious season of making memories with my siblings went out like the tide. 

     Every day I strive to teach the children to be thoughtful of each other and practice serving each other.  These little buds of friendship must be cultivated like a little garden of seedlings.  They grow in the warmth of the home, with a mother's sunshine pouring down.    When one brother's feelings have been hurt, it takes Mother's keen perception (and presence!) to gently remind the other siblings of their insensitivity and guide them to make amends.   If we do not serve as their conscience now, their conscience will not activate in such a circumstance later when they are out from under the shelter of our homes.   We are fashioning good future husbands and wives as we teach them to cherish each other and build  that early natural affection till it has grown into a sacred friendship that will span the years and fill our home lives with sweetness. 

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One can't even form the words to imagine the crushing blow Missy's unexpected death is for her dear family. I only just came across all this news this evening and visited her site. The recentness of her last blog and the glimpses into her heartfelt passion for home, and the next entry by her husband hung like a beautiful concerto silenced mid-stanza. I was moved to tears. One just aches, and I wish there were some balm I could supply each of those children's hearts.

Such a reality quickly brings into sharp focus the fragility of life. None of us knows the time God has portioned for us. And so each day must be entered with a reverence to our Maker, acknowleging each day from him. Clearly Missy's heart was in her home as her blog and writing testifies.

From my favorite little book Home -Making, by J.R. Miller comes the following:

     "We are making their memories day by day and year by year, and what they shall be in the future will depend on the home-life we are living now. We may make our home a palace, filling it with delights covering the walls with beautiful pictures, planting flowers to fill the halls and chambers with fragrance....We may make the memories of our home so tender, so precious, so sacred, that each life that goes out of our doors shall carry a blessing upon it wherever it moves. ....

     ...When one's home life has been true and sweet, its memories never can be effaced. There ought to be a powerful motive in this truth to lead us to watch the character of the memories we make in our homes. How will those who go out of our doors be affected in later life by what they remember of their early home? Will the memory be tender, retraining, refining and inspiring? Or will it be sad, bitter and a curse?

     Cowper's mother died when he was only six years old, yet so deep was the impression made on him by her that he said there was not a day in all his manhood's years when he did not remember and think of her. The memory of her tenderness hung over him like a soft summer sky."

I think it will be so for Missy's children, and for her husband too.

Perhaps as we reflect upon her sweetness of life and the abruptness of her departure to be with the Lord, we will not only be driven to pray for their family, but prayerfully petition afresh God's strength and energy and wisdom to minister to our own dear children and husband with renewed gentleness.  That we will be led to impress on the tender lives within our grasp so temporarily our goodness of character, our "follow me as I follow Him!" that the memory and influence will endure with them even when we are someday gone and they are old themselves. 

     "How strange it seems, with so much gone

      Of life and love, to still live on..."

                                               ~Whittier 

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