When Sunday mornings rolled around, my mother made sure I was at church. It was as much a part of my life as the regularity of evening baths and dinner at the table. Sickness didn’t prevent my attendance, and trouble didn’t stop the vehicle from pulling out of our driveway. One way or another, I was going to make the 30-minute ride to Sunday school. I didn’t complain. There was something wonderful about gathering with students my age for class and joining the grown ups afterward for preaching. I loved Sundays. The services. The slower pace. The nap I often got. And the baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet peas, home-made biscuits, dessert, and sweet tea. Sunday was a treat. Pure perfection served up like pie and ice cream at the end of a long, work-worn week. There was just something special about a day of Sabbath.
Some of those customs I carried on with my family. In them are respite, but Sabbath rest has become so much more than a relaxing Sunday for me. While I still find spiritual refreshing in worship services, which are like packages I unwrap each week, any moment I set aside to absorb God’s presence becomes a Sabbath for me. God-pauses sprinkled throughout my day are like power naps for my spirit. The sweet reminder of God’s promises or the touch of His presence offer pick-me-ups like nothing else. Emptying my heart of its aches and rolling my troubles on God in prayer are like taking the day off from work or sleeping in on Saturdays. A full vacation for my soul is found in the moments I set aside with nothing on the agenda but Jesus. Just to be still. To mull over His Word, to let my busy thoughts settle, to get off the fast track and just be. No doing. No floating To-do list in my line of vision. Just the simplicity of absorbing His nearness.
Some days, my soul-thirst drives me to that place. Some days, my blessings beseech me to linger in celebration. And some days, like today, it’s the pain that begs solace for a recent loss. But God’s presence never disappoints.
Soul wrung, I clung to Him today. Sorrow, much deeper than I expected, had cut deep, requiring a steady washing of tears. So, I shared them with Jesus. He understood. He comforted. He collected my shatters in His palm and reminded me with His presence and through His word that He was near, never to leave, that He was enough for every single loss I experience, whether great or small. Hope infused my heart with Christ’s consolation.
As God’s fulness filled my empty places, I experienced Sabbath. Rest. Right in the middle of sorrow, I enjoyed a full-fledged vacation, a soul-respite that brought joy into the most unhappy of situations. A slice of pure, nothing-can-take-it-from-me glory that was mine to enjoy. It encapsulated all that was good and right and sublime, and I savored a perfect Sunday right in the middle of the week.
Tip/Tidbit: Take a moment today to sit and enjoy Jesus.
Some of those customs I carried on with my family. In them are respite, but Sabbath rest has become so much more than a relaxing Sunday for me. While I still find spiritual refreshing in worship services, which are like packages I unwrap each week, any moment I set aside to absorb God’s presence becomes a Sabbath for me. God-pauses sprinkled throughout my day are like power naps for my spirit. The sweet reminder of God’s promises or the touch of His presence offer pick-me-ups like nothing else. Emptying my heart of its aches and rolling my troubles on God in prayer are like taking the day off from work or sleeping in on Saturdays. A full vacation for my soul is found in the moments I set aside with nothing on the agenda but Jesus. Just to be still. To mull over His Word, to let my busy thoughts settle, to get off the fast track and just be. No doing. No floating To-do list in my line of vision. Just the simplicity of absorbing His nearness.
Some days, my soul-thirst drives me to that place. Some days, my blessings beseech me to linger in celebration. And some days, like today, it’s the pain that begs solace for a recent loss. But God’s presence never disappoints.
Soul wrung, I clung to Him today. Sorrow, much deeper than I expected, had cut deep, requiring a steady washing of tears. So, I shared them with Jesus. He understood. He comforted. He collected my shatters in His palm and reminded me with His presence and through His word that He was near, never to leave, that He was enough for every single loss I experience, whether great or small. Hope infused my heart with Christ’s consolation.
As God’s fulness filled my empty places, I experienced Sabbath. Rest. Right in the middle of sorrow, I enjoyed a full-fledged vacation, a soul-respite that brought joy into the most unhappy of situations. A slice of pure, nothing-can-take-it-from-me glory that was mine to enjoy. It encapsulated all that was good and right and sublime, and I savored a perfect Sunday right in the middle of the week.
Tip/Tidbit: Take a moment today to sit and enjoy Jesus.
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