How do you practice Sabbath?

[lisalee]

This thread is sort of along the lines of the unwinding/relaxing thread already posted. I was reading my Simple Abundance Day Book (I LOVE this book!!) and it talked about setting a day aside as an personal sabbath day. You aren't suppose to do any major chores (although cooking is encouraged!) and you are suppose to stop and take some time for your self. Made me start to wonder if people really take the time to rest. I know that I set aside Sunday. I don't run errands, often don't drive the car anywhere, probably go for a walk, work on my cross-stitch projects (Will I ever finish them?!?! . Some Sundays I go to church if the Spirit moves me-although I prefer the Saturday service and would rather go then. This Sunday my nephews are coming to make cookies and play, but again it won't involve a lot of hard work.:) What to you do?

[pattyp.]

I think it was be a wonderful benefit for families to celebrate a day of rest and family. Put aside all chores and make it a day of rest. That was intended to be the Sabbath. I remember when all the stores were closed on Sunday and we had a Sundy dinner at the table with all the family.

[djoygirl]

I don't really take a personal sabbath, but we do rest on Sundays for the most part. DH and I usually go to church and Sunday school, then we'll usually go to lunch afterward. When we get home we just sort of hang out doing whatever we feel like. Often on Sunday nights we have dinner with DH's family. We take turns having it at our house or at MIL's or SIL's. I think it's nice to set aside a day for God and family.

[Sara Emily]

Although I am a Christian, I REALLY learned to appreciate the value of Sabbath when I lived in Jerusalem, in the heart of the Jewish community. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew for what God did when He took His day of rest from creation says that "He got His soul back!" I've thought about that long and hard. All during the week, we are measured (and measure ourselves!) a great deal by what we DO, what we get ACCOMPLISHED, rather than on what we ARE. We GIVE of ourselves (our souls) to our work, family and community obligations, etc., and that is as it should be. On this one day each week, in God's perfect rhythm of things, we stop DOING, and allow our souls to be restored. We remember that the world does not depend entirely on us. (What a relief!)

I prep each week for the sabbath as much as possible. For me, that means having something good cooked AHEAD of time (when possible!) - something that DH and I will enjoy and which will nourish us. It means I spent more unhurried time in prayer and spiritual reading - WITHOUT the guilt that I should be cleaning something or doing some job!! I also do a little bit of recreational reading, purely for the joy of it, spend special time with DH (It is a popular tradition in the Israeli observant Jewish community that you make love this day! - not as a "have to," but because it often proceeds naturally from feeling so relaxed and re-balanced!) I go to church, take the occasional hot soak in the tub or give myself a facial or do something nice for us that the harried week just does not permit. Special visits with friends that you really enjoy are also nice. I make it a priority to grow in some way SPIRITUALLY on that day, with a secondary priority of just being good to US. The luxury of an afternoon nap to catch up on missed sleep is also nice. If I don't use the GIFT of Sabbath well for several weeks running, it starts to "tell" in some way in my health, energy level, or moods. :o

[GayeC]

Wow Sara Emily! That is so well said! I need to incorporate some of your ideas into my Sunday/sabbath each week.

Gaye