Read It, Learn It,
Live It, Share It
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” – Exodus 20:8
My great
Grandfather was a farmer in Michigan. As
a child I remember going up to his house on Sundays after church and having the
best time with my brother and sister, all of my cousins, aunts and uncles, parents,
Grandparents and great Grandparents. It
wasn’t necessarily a family reunion, but everyone just showed up. Lot’s of great food, playing out in the barns
and fields, chasing baby chicks and climbing up in the hay loft to see who was
brave enough to jump down into the pile of hay below. Great Grandpa John would pretend to take out
his teeth, and set the “laughing teeth” (little wind up toy teeth that
chattered and vibrated across the table) on the table and we would laugh for
what seemed like hours. Grandma and the
ladies would all be in the kitchen helping prepare the incredible feast, while
the men sat around telling stories of fishing, hunting and farming. We would get to ride on the tractor, or if
Aunt Shirley showed up, we would get to ride on her motorcycle. The day was filled with laughter, hugs, love,
togetherness and just plain fun and we never even turned the TV on. I recall one of the stories my father and
uncles were having one of these Sundays about crop rotation and letting the
fields grow over the next year. I couldn’t
imagine why they would let the corn field or beans grow over and not plant the
field. I learned the principal of the land
sabbath that year. Every seventh year a
farmer would not plant his fields and let the nutrients replenish. This principal had biblical roots in Leviticus
25:4; although neither man admitted it that day – my uncle had a way of
taking credit for knowing all things about farming the land. These days at the farm will forever be etched
in my mind as the simplest and purest form of joy and it didn’t cost a dime.God’s word is clear in Genesis 2:2, when he takes a rest on the seventh day after creating all things. He expressed this same principal throughout the scriptures and wrote it with his own finger upon the stone tablets that Moses carried down the mountain. As the fourth of the 10 Commandments, it is something that we ought not take for granted. To most people Sunday represents just another day to get the work done around the house, shopping, eating out, watching sport on TV or going to the movies. Our lives have become so busy that this time is also beginning to look a whole lot like Monday through Friday at the office. Aren’t you burned out yet? Aren’t you tired of running and always having to be somewhere?
God’s word is Holy, His 10 Commandments are not suggestions, they are laws – laid down by His own hand. In His infinite wisdom, He knew before time began that mankind would push ourselves as hard as possible to succeed and in doing so forsake the time necessary to rest, rebuild and spend time focusing on Him and our relationship with Him. You see, the point of the Sabbath is to focus on God and His plan for your life. We run so fast trying to accomplish life, when we should be slowing down and living it. God has a plan for your life, but you need to take your eyes off of your plan in order to focus on His, and accept that it may not be the same as yours. In either case though, you must make time for resting and drawing in His presence. Find that time to spend with the Lord, just breathing in His love and mercy. Find the time to rest, breathe and laugh. Make it an official part of each week, and you’ll be surprised how much easier life becomes. God knows what’s right for your health, happiness and peace; our job is to execute to His plan.
For an archive of Daily Thoughts go to: http://www.10minutereader.com
No comments:
Post a Comment