On the Sabbath Day...

I was asked to speak at church last Sunday.  The topic they gave me was Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.  Since this blog is mainly my journal, I'm including it here:

 

Over the last couple of weeks, I've realized that I had an incredible amount to do in a very short amount of time. With Christmas coming and the many preparations that come with this time of the year, school parties to plan, holiday baking, buying gifts, service, and getting ready to travel later this week, the call to speak today was, honestly...inconvenient. My to-do list had been scheduled to the hour for weeks until it was time to leave for our trip a couple of days from now. Speaking was something that I was not excited about, because it was just one more thing to add to my list.

And then, there was the topic, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. Frankly, I was a little disappointed. If I was going to take time out of my busy schedule to write a talk, I felt like at this time of the year the topic should be about Christmas, or our Savior, or giving, or serving. As you can see, I am very positive in my thoughts!

Just as I was feeling overwhelmed and burdened down with all I had to do, my plans were changed due to several unforeseen circumstances. I had to take a friend to the doctor, which took most of my day on Thursday, but it really didn't matter that I had other things to do because her health was more important.

Friday morning my kindergartener got sick and had to stay home from school. All of the sudden, my long list of plans for Thursday and Friday had to be canceled. I had to stay home and tend to my sick child and not run around checking things off my list. I was being forced to “ be still”.

During those two days, I was unable to find a babysitter even after calling seven people. I was annoyed that I couldn't do the things that I had planned. Again, I was being forced to “be still”. I spent the first part of Friday feeling frustrated.

But suddenly, the world changed a little. I heard the news. That horrible reminder that unfathomable things happen all too often. Not having a babysitter turned into a blessing because I got to spend the evening with my family at a time when I wanted them to know how very much I loved them. 

 

It changed my perspective, to stay home. To care for my sick child and friend, to think about the commandments and honoring my Savior by preparing this talk and thinking about those who are less lucky and blessed than I. It changed my perspective to be able to be home with my loved ones in the light of unspeakable tragedy. My Friday turned into a sacred day for me, much like the Sabbath should be. I was able to concentrate on the important things instead of all the little things that really don't matter.

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy can change your perspective and attitude if it is observed properly.

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The first time this topic comes up in history, is on the seventh day of the Creation of our world.

1	Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2	And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Heb. 4.4, 10
3	And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: Ex. 20.11 because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

But He didn't stop with resting Himself. He commanded the newly freed slaves of Egypt to rest.

Imagine it is the morning of the Exodus. All of those amazing miracles are leading the Hebrew slaves to freedom. Many, many men plus their families are being brought out of cruel bondage. Out into the desert they go, then through the Red Sea by an amazing miracle of God! But there is a problem! Where is the food going to be found to feed this huge nation in the empty desert?? God had a plan.

When they get up the next morning, they find the ground covered with a small seed-like substance. “Manna? Manna?” they cry, “What is it?”  God tells Moses to inform them, “This is your food. You will gather it every morning only enough for the day. If you gather more it will spoil” But on the sixth day they were to gather double and on the Seventh day there would be none! They were to rest on the Sabbath day! But some did not listen. They tried to gather extra so they could sleep in – and  it spoiled! And some headed out on the Seventh day to look for Manna and there was none! God spoke to those that didn't listen: “And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day.

In my mind, the former slaves were essentially forced to Keep the Sabbath day holy. Just as I was forced to rest on Friday when I had a sick child. And what a blessing it became for me, and for them.

We read in Exodus 20, the fourth commandment: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. It is reiterated in Deuteronomy, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”Can you imagine what a blessing it was to have a day of rest after being enslaved for generations?

And so it is for us today, a blessing. How wonderful is our God that He would command us to take a day to remember Him and to rest from our worldly cares! He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Just as he rested on the seventh day, he commands us to take a day to rest and worship.

Obviously, in our day, we don't have to gather enough manna to be able to eat on the Sabbath day. Kroger has plenty and is open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. So, how should we keep the Sabbath Day holy?

President Kimball taught, “The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory-to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord. It is a day on which to read good books, a day to contemplate and ponder, ...a day to study the scriptures and to prepare sermons, a day to nap and rest and relax, a day to visit the sick, a day to preach the gospel, a day to proselyte, a day to visit quietly with the family and get acquainted with our children, a day for proper courting, a day to do good, a day to drink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, a day to seek forgiveness of our sins, a day for the enrichment of our spirit and our soul, a day to restore us to our spiritual stature, a day to partake of the emblems of his sacrifice and atonement, a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and of the eternal realms, a day to climb high on the upward path toward our Heavenly Father.”

I believe that the way we keep the Sabbath Day holy is incredibly individual and personal. I am a convert to the church and, growing up, there was no difference between Saturdays or Sundays. Once I was baptized and went to college I saw that there were many different ways to keep the Sabbath day holy. Not all of those ways are appropriate for every person in every situation. I think those ways need to change depending on what stage of our lives we are in. I am still working on the best ways for my family to observe the day.

We all have different situations that make it impossible for me to get up here and list the dos and do nots of the Sabbath Day. Some have careers that are not conducive to avoiding work on the Sabbath. I have known people in these situations who choose another day of the week, when they are not working, to observe the commandment. Others make sure that even if they are working that they keep a “ Sabbath frame of mind” by trying to meditate or have gospel conversations or to write in journals on their breaks. If you have young children, it is not reasonable to expect not to clean or lift a finger on Sundays. No matter what our individual circumstance, it is important to take one day out of our week and dedicate it to the Lord. Make it a day that is different and more special than the rest of the week.

A friend of mine taught a lesson on this topic years ago that I still remember. She said, “When my kids were little Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy meant that Sunday morning I would cook a hot breakfast, something other then cold cereal which we ate the rest of the week. Some might think that it would be better to eat a simpler meal which did not involve more work. I did not consider it work. I considered it spending time with and serving my family. If I cooked a hot breakfast every day of the week then Sunday would be a time for the treat of cold cereal. If your family watches TV every night of the week, Sunday should be a time that the TV gets turned off and books are read together or board games are played. But, if everyone is scattered all week long then maybe Sunday night could be TV or DVD night. It is a very individual commandment which needs to be constantly reevaluated as families grow and change.”

When I was in college, I had the prestigious job of being a Sandwich Artist at Subway. The particular store where I worked was across the street from BYU. If all of the employees were not LDS, than a vast majority were. Most of our customers were too. We rotated who worked on Sundays. Business was SLOW on the Sabbath, but there was still business. I was at work on one of my designated Sundays when a customer walked in and placed his order. It was just the two of us in the store. As I made his sandwich, he asked me why I was working on the Sabbath. I told him that it was probably because people like him came in to purchase sandwiches on Sunday. He told me I was sinning because I was working on the Sabbath. I thought to myself that he was the one sinning.

It may be a silly story, but here is the thing, neither of us knew much about the other. He judged me and I judged him. How did he know that it wasn't a job that I would have been let go from if I didn't work on Sundays? How did he know if my job was one that I really needed to survive? And, for all I knew, he may not have eaten for days due to lack of money and then Sunday morning someone gave him enough money for food? I can't tell you what is appropriate for you and your family to do on the Sabbath. But, I can tell you that one of the worst things we can do is to judge others for they way we think they keep or don't keep the Sabbath.

Christmas is the time of the year when I feel closest to my Savior. I think it is like that for a lot of us. Why is it? It is because we think of Him, we sing of Him, we give to others, we visit our neighbors and our friends, we have physical reminders in decorations all around us, we serve others, we love more deeply. I believe this is how our Sabbath should be.

As the next couple of weeks go by, I challenge you to take a break from your to do lists to to find a new perspective. In this time of busyness and uncertainty and fear, take time to“Be still, and know that He is God.” The Sabbath Day is a wonderful day to “be still”. Take some time to find one way that you can make the Sabbath Day a little more special for the coming year. Be more actively involved with your children, rest and relax but don't spend the whole day lounging, fellowship your neighbors, invite someone to dinner, do good continually, listen to more uplifting music, try to leave stressful and negative thoughts out of your mind. Allow him to make good on his promise that if you labor and are heavy laden but choose to come unto Him, He will give you rest. I know that He can and will.

Sorrow

I've watched my children play more often this weekend.  I've studied their smiles.  I've hugged them and told them that I will always be with them in their hearts and their minds even if there is a time when they can't see me.  I've felt guilty when I've had to be stern with them or didn't have time to play with them because all I want for them is to be joyful and safe.  If they only knew how much I love them!  

I have intentionally avoided any media about this horrible act.  I simply cannot allow myself to see the images or hear the stories, because it all hits too close to home.  I started to tell Jackson what happened, I felt like he needed to know.  Kids will be talking, I'm sure.  He broke down, cried and said he was scared before I even began.  So I stopped, because I know how incredibly sensitive he is.  I stopped because I don't want him to know that such horrific things really happen.  He doesn't know anything, and now I worry that he will find out from a child.  That his mother won't be there to comfort him, just as those little ones didn't have their mothers there to comfort them. 

Luke bit his tongue this afternoon and there was blood everywhere.  He is a dramatic kid.  In the midst of his pain he screamed, "Jesus help me!"  It took all I had not to break down as I thought of those little sweet children, gone to school to learn and to play.  "Jesus, help me," I'm sure more than one of them thought.  

I've gone to bed with tears in my eyes and awakened the same way.  I cry for those sweet children and for their parents.  I cry because this could have happened to MY child.  I can't contemplate the terror that those little ones felt.  I can't contemplate the grief their parents must feel.  Here I am with sadness in my heart so far removed,  hoping and praying that I never know the intensity of the sadness that those left behind must be feeling.  

I believe that these children are with their Father in Heaven now.  I hope they have no recollection of what happened to them.  I have hope that they are playing and happy. That their Savior and loved ones gone before and teachers are caring for them, just in a different classroom. 

Despite my urge to keep my children safe at home with me, I will send them to school tomorrow.  I usually drop my kids off at the curb in the morning, but not tomorrow.   Tomorrow, I will walk my kids into school because a part of me is scared to leave them there.  I won't walk them to their classrooms because the world has changed a little and  I'm not allowed to go past the main entrance any longer.  I will worry about them all day and every day to come.  


But, I won't let my fears change the fact that life has to go on.  We have to find the strength inside to have faith and trust.  We cannot let one horrible act dictate our actions.  We have to remember that there is SO much good in the world.  There are so many wonderful people who love and help and care.   

We have to believe that we can make a difference.   We can make more of an effort to smile and greet each person that we pass.  We can let them know that someone cares, even if they are in despair.  We can love a little deeper and be a little kinder.  We can be grateful for the the miraculous blessings in our lives and look out for those that are struggling.  We can make sure that those little lives were not lost in vain.  We can remember them and use their memory to guide us to do more and to be better and to love more fully in everything we do.  

I will remember this time.  And, I will keep living with hope and faith and courage in the future.

Spreading Christmas Cheer?

Our adorable Lukie had a preschool performance this morning at the church that houses his preschool.  I thought I had been to a Lutheran Church before, but maybe this was the first time.  It was an interesting experience.  I definitely believed in what they taught but I had a hard time feeling the Spirit with the loud guitars and drums.  I guess I'm just not a modern worship type of gal.  However, I am SO pleased with the preschool.  I love the thought of Luke attending a religious preschool.  I went to one when I was a kid and I have memories of being in the Christmas program. 

SO, today was Luke's big debut.  I didn't have high expectations.  Luke is anything but outgoing.  He is still very clingy to me and has a hard time parting from me when it is time for school.  He gets "nervous" and so I knew that he would not be the shining star of the program.  I had a long talk with him at home and promised to buy him everything that he finds irrisitable on the planet if he would just put on his costume and stand with the other children.  He kindly declined anything that I offered.  He has been declaring, daily, that he was NOT going to sing in front of any people, so I didn't push the singing issue.  By the time we got there he was holding my hand so tightly and being so defiant that I told him that if he put on the costume he could just sit with me and watch.

When we got into the classroom, little Lukie went right into the back corner and I can only guess that his little spirit was floating above him because it seemed to be just a body with nothing inside to respond to whatever I  (or anyone else) said or did.  He did come alive for a moment to protest the costume, but somehow I convinced/forced him to let me turn him into a shepherd anyway.  And, although all the others were sitting and watching the Little Mermaid, Luke stood like a statue in the same spot.

Isn't he just glowing :0)

I decided to leave the room for a minute and I  hid out in the hall.  I really thought he was just going to end up staying in that spot when they all left the room and that a teacher would have to come tell me to go get him.

But guess what?  I peeked in and Luke wasn't in the corner!  The kids were lining up and he was with them!  I hurried and sat in the church with Barrington and the other boys.  There was an introduction and then a prayer.  The kids proceeded to walk down the aisle in front of A LOT of people.  They lined up in front of the congregation.  Luke was with them!

He wasn't happy or even smiling.  He didn't sing a note or do one hand gesture and he MAY have looked like he was going to deck his friend who stood next to him because he elbowed him every time he made the hand gesture for We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  But, he did it!  He stood there through Away in a Manger, Go Tell it on the Mountain AND We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  He got up in front of all those people and stood there.  I couldn't have been more proud.  I know how hard that was for him.  Then those little guys sat together in the congregation for the rest of a very LONG meeting.  When it was over and I looked for him, he had a HUGE smile on his face and I just knew that he was proud of himself.  And what more could a mom want?

This is a little snippet of the kids singing.  Luke is the third child from the left on he back row.  You may need to view it full screen because I didn't have zoom capability.  You'll be able to identify him because he is the one not moving or singing.




He was willing to allow me to record him at home practicing his songs.  Here is the real Lukie, unfettered by anxiety:


Merry Christmas!