Sabbath

I practice Sabbath. This is part of my Judaeo-Christian heritage. It is rooted in the command, "Remember the sabbath and keep it holy." It was a command (precept) given by God to reinforce a principle. The principle was that work needs to be balanced with rest and renewal. In particular, a time to free yourself from your everyday labors and activities--to reconnect with God to replenish your soul and to rest to replenish your body.

Sabbath is not the same as leisure, especially in America where people play at their work and work at their play. It is not the same as a day off, especially in a nation that suffers from "hurry sickness"* and is burning out in its busyness.

Mark Buchanan** says that the test for a sabbath activity is whether or not it is necessary. Is it necessary to maintain house, job, finances, relationships? All of these are essentially part of our "work." The Sabbath concept - six days work and one day rest - implies that we do the unnecessary on the Sabbath. The other items need to be handled in the first six and if you cannot do so, you are trying to handle too many things.

So on my Sabbath, I try to practice "freescence"***. I try to do what on other days might be a "waste" because I need to be free to do what rests and replenishes. Golf, if the weather is warm is freescence--or breakfast with a friend--or time with a John Grisham novel--or puttering around the yard--or praying for no other reason than I like to talk to God. And if I can do it without guilt or regrets come the next "work day"--then I have truly had a Sabbath.

STEVE

*phrase from John Ortberg ** THE REST OF GOD by Mark Buchanan *** phrase I first heard more than 30 years ago from Ken Prunty