...  we would be enjoying a beautiful sunset together.  I am sitting outside just a few feet away from the water.    The  lights  coming from the houses on the shoreline are twinkling as they reflect the water.  The sky has swirly clouds that are painted in a pink and purple cast. There is a sailboat   tied to the dock next to ours and the wind is rocking it.  Firecrackers are going off in the distance and they are beautiful with the setting sun in the backdrop. 

It has been a most wonderful Sabbath.  It started  Friday evening when my entire family was together.  It was the birthday of my oldest daughter, Becky, and that is a very special day for me as well as for her.  There were twelve of us and we went out to eat at a restaurant on the lake.  It was wonderful  to  have everyone together.  When I came home I wasn’t so tired as I was looking forward to laying down in my bed listening to the sound of the waves .  It is such a peaceful way to go so sleep.

I have spent almost the enitre day outside.  I  read the newspaper while sitting on the dock.    I have a tendency to save a week’s worth of newspapers and then read them all in one day or evening.    I floated around the lake on an inflated water toy.  I swam laps from the floating buoys and back to the dock.  I’ve spent the entire day just having fun in the water and enjoying the sunshine with my children. 

This morning I was greeted with this  comment from Tammy;

When I wasn’t  reading and playing, this comment gave me food for thought  for the day.  Early in the morning while I had my coffee, I looked up some Bible verses on this subject.  It is interesting because Jesus did not just sit around and do nothing on the Sabbath.  On one occasion, he was teaching on the Sabbath.   Other times, Jesus was traveling with his disciples and when they were hungry they picked some grain.  The Pharisees seen this and confronted Jesus and accused Him of not honoring the Sabbath.        

 For me, honoring the Sabbath is an attitude of the heart.  It is not trying to adhere to a cumbersome law.    I seek to honor the Sabbath by  striving  to accomplish all my work during the week.  I diligently lay out a plan in bits and pieces that sets a finishing time goal for Friday evening.   Then I rest and  enjoy what God has created.   I enjoy my family, the sunshine, and just time in itself to think. I enjoy my children immensely on this day. We cuddle, play, and relax together.

I don’t cook big meals on the Sabbath. For me, that’s “work.”  I have been known to cook something on Friday in the crockpot for Saturday’s meal.  But we have often had pizza on Friday nights, and sandwiches on Saturday.  I take advantage of this day to spend extra time with my husband. We might take a drive together and go for a coffee.

If at all possible, I try to plan leaving for trips or coming back from them other than during this time. I try not to go shopping and to plan ahead so I don't need to.  We have gone to a movie, watched some t.v., and played computer games.  Like you, Tammy, I was not raised with keeping the Sabbath.  I don't know what it looks like to other people, either.  All I know is that we used to work a LOT on Saturdays.  Work never ended at our house.  Every day was a work day.  There were no off days.  Stopping and enjoying what God had given us just did not happen.  Resting on a Saturday was absolutely something we didn't do.  And I didn't have a clue or even a thought that something might be wrong with this.

Since striving to honor this day,  I started managing my time better in order to be able to rest.   God has blessed immensely in ways I could have not foreseen.  I have found that time is like money.  It's a faith walk.  When we tithe, in the human realm, this would mean that we have less money for ourselves.  But our family has found, that the more we give, the more we receive.  Abundantly so.  And such I have found with my time.  In the human realm, again, it would seem that if I give up a day to get things done, I would have even less time to myself.  But I have never had more time in my life than since we began to seek to honor the Sabbath by stopping from work and resting and enjoying what God has provided and so abundantly given.

Ths is the verse that I recall often on the Sabbath:

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:26-28 (in Context) Mark 2 (Whole Chapter)

 He made this day FOR us.  

Check out BibleGateway.com for any verses that you want to find in the Bible.  You only have to know at least one word in the verse to give you all the verses that have that word.