Sunday in our home is sacred. Not in a rigid, rule-following way, but in the quiet, unhurried way that God intended when He said to rest. We like to go to church, keep a low profile, talk about God, eat at home with family, and make Sundays truly the Lord’s day. And like all of God’s commands, when followed, this one benefits us greatly. At the end of the day it feels like we just got back from a relaxing vacation, without having to spend the money or the time to travel.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
-Exodus 20:8-11
We do not make a rule out of it, but does it really hurt to spend one day honoring the Creator of the universe?
“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’”
-Mark 2:27
One of the many benefits I have reaped from observing the Sabbath is being able to zero in on God through the people He has placed in my life. On a regular day I move so fast that all I notice is the work that needs to be done, the planning, the resource management, the time management, and the getting it done. I force God into the day only when I feel myself slipping away, pulled too far into the world and its demands.
On a Sunday dedicated to God, people take on a different shape. They are kind, creative, loving, good-looking, intelligent, and funny, and the list goes on. I take time to see beyond what they bring to the table professionally, to who they actually are. This got me thinking. There is a shift in pace and objectives, but most importantly, there is an ability to see beyond what the world brings forth.
When I finally slow down enough to truly see the people around me, I notice things I miss during the week. Someone is easy on the eyes. Someone else is endlessly creative. And then there is always that one person who is as Christ-like at heart as anyone I have ever encountered. On the Sabbath, I finally have the eyes to see them.
By now you might be thinking this is about Sundays. But it is not. My realization was about the awesomeness of God. If mere mortals, made in His image, can be this good-looking, creative, kind, merciful, and grace-filled, how much more spectacular is the source of all of that and more? It should be mind-blowing on a regular basis. We are surrounded by vibrant, living proof of how spectacular God is.
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.”
-Ezekiel 12:2
And it does not stop there. Seeing God reflected in our imperfect brothers and sisters makes us want to bow down and thank Him for loving us. All we need to do is reject the distorted image of others that this fallen world wants us to see. God sees who He truly created. That image is so vivid to Him that He came down to our fallen world, was tortured, died, and rose again, claiming us back as His own.
It is time for us to try to see the same. God bless you.
Dear God,
You are worthy of all the praise in the world. There is none like You. Your awe-inspiring nature gets overshadowed by my fallen thoughts when I drift from You. Please keep me in Your constant presence so that I may see and hear as You will. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.