Sabbath- Old English, from Latin sabbatum, via Greek from from Hebrew Sabbat, from Sabat, 'to rest'
One of my favourite weeks has finally come! This semester has been one of the busiest I have had in a while. But now that cross-country season has ended, one of the most beautiful weeks has approached… The off week- a week where I can take a mental break from the stresses of training and focus on other interests.
What I have found about this week with all my spare time is how much I enjoy the simple. Rarely do I get the chance to just sit and be. We are always seeing the world hurrying to and from things, but for me, the world seems motionless for a week.
My life has been a constant race… so often do I run, but forget to feel each step, so often do I breathe, but fail to truly fill myself. I stop, but don't look around; I pause, but rarely reflect.
So this week I intend to do all of that. But even past the resting, I pray my life would never be in a place that reflection, pause, or rest would cease.
What does the Sabbath mean to you? Perhaps it's a old Bible tale, maybe its a Sunday on the couch watching the Cowboys game. To me it can sometimes mean different things. Being a natural introvert I enjoy getting some alone time to reflect, sometimes in my room listening to ambient music with a Bible and journal in hand, other times I am out on a run, spending time in nature thinking about life, or praying. All this is a way of surrounding myself and tasting the beauty of creation, hearing beautiful sounds that reflect Christ. I mentioned earlier how ambient piano has this particular effect on me. It tugs on my soul heartstrings because of its simplicity, yet allows me to think, to dream, and imagine. I'd like to think that God gave the Israelites the Sabbath to do these things as well.
But whats great about the Sabbath is that no matter what restful activities we partake in, we get to experience the beauty of God through all of it. In Genesis, even the Lord who created the earth rested. (Genesis 2:3)
Wherever you are, I urge you to keep the Sabbath, or give yourself a chance to rest, reflect, dream, imagine, or experience God in a beautiful way.
In Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell is asked to run his 100 meter Olympic Trials heat on his Sabbath day, Sunday. It was his dream to run in the Olympic Games, but he had to turn it down because he knew that being faithful to the Lord and keeping the Sabbath was more important than winning a race. Here is what'd cool about the story: The Lord honored him and Eric was given a chance to run in other race, which he ended up winning!
We may never win a race because of our Sabbath convictions, but how great is it when we can experience God's beauty through our time of rest. During this week I have off, I am going to continue to rest in that beauty that the Lord continues to show me. I am excited to see where the Lord is going to take me as I continue following Him. Join me in this journey! What are your thoughts on the Sabbath?
Here is the video of Eric's conviction to honour the Sabbath!
