OKAY, okay... the Sabbath

Sabbath rest... WHAT?

 

So... I know this might be random, but it's not to me.

Ever since I started learned how WORN OUT I am, God started showing SCREAMING at me the reality of the Sabbath Rest. I know some of you are thinking - well that's Old Testament. we don't do that anymore. isn't that like one of the 10 Commandments... so old school.  Yes, yes... that's what I thought. The Sabbath was something they had to do once upon a time... not now. Our "Sabbath" is full of going to church (which is not so restful sometimes), going to eat with friends, business, and whatever else we find to fill our time. 

So... where is our rest?

I'm not saying our Sabbath rest has to be on Sunday or any day for that matter. Honestly, I'm still working through what the Sabbath rest is and what it's suppose to look like for me, my hubby, and our lives. I really haven't even talked to him about this... just been chewing on it. I should probably talk to him. 

All I know right now is what Hebrews 4 (yep, the NEW Testament) says about the Sabbath:

p.s. this is the Message version. I don't usually use the Message when I'm studying, but I thought this translation of these verses made sense to my feeble mind. 

^1-3For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said,

   Exasperated, I vowed,
      "They'll never get where they're going,
      never be able to sit down and rest."

 ^3-7God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:

   Today, please listen,

      don't turn a deaf ear . . .

 ^8-11And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.

THEN... THE PASSAGE THAT WE HAVE READ AND RECITED AND WROTE AND GOTTEN EXCITED OVER MANY TIMES COMES DIRECTLY AFTER IT. HOW I HAVE FAILED TO SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ENTIRE CONTEXT:

^12-13God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what.

(You know... The word is active and living and cuts deeper than a double-edged sword...)

SABBATH REST IS OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT TO GOD AND THE WORD OF GOD! 

This is CRAZY to me. I have never really READ this passage. 

REST is so important. I don't think it means to sleep all day, be lazy, and unintentional.  

I think this REST means destroying all distractions, focusing on what matters (the Lord, family, friends), and stop with BUSINESS. 

I want to learn and live in Sabbath rest. 

My dear friend, Kelly Vaughan, who I have written about many times is struggling to find the meaning and application of Sabbath rest too. Her family came up with the 5 Sabbath S's to define what they desire from the Sabbath. I want it to:

SEEK

Fight to seek and worship the Lord in new and fresh ways

SURRENDER

Surrender our plan, agenda, chaos... our norm unto the Lord

SHARE

Share our time, meals, laughter, and life

STORY

Share our story with each other, speak life into one another, remembering that it's His story we are in.

STOP

Cease, rest... savor unhindered and unhurried time as we battle against chaos.

Such sweet words. I want to be teachable in moldable. 

I long for Sabbath rest. 

I am excited about what this could look like in my life and I yearn to know it.

Week one of BRAVE

So... I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed my first week of Angela Thomas' "BRAVE" study!!! 

I am dumb and didn't put 2 and 2 together!!! God really blessed me this week.

So... I am a "devo leader" for a women's group at church. I don't know why I was asked to be the leader b/c I feel like the other women have SO MUCH to offer and I want to learn from them, but here I am... the leader. Our last meeting of the semester was in May. I was feeling REALLY WORN OUT! You know the feeling - overwhelmed, exhausted, want to lock yourself in your closet and cry for a while kind of feeling?? And I suspected I wasn't alone. I came up with a devo that could have turn into a sermon very easily about being WORN OUT.  I even blogged about it here.  Then I started this study and didn't realize that the topic "I AM WORN OUT" would be exactly what God was leading me to talk about to the ladies group at church!!! I even used ANGELA THOMAS' 8 PROVISIONS FOR THE WORN OUT WOMEN!!! HELLO? Anyways... when my distracted mind FINALLY realized it... I got really excited! How fun that I was being leading to teach a small group of women this devo and the leaders of this Bible felt the same guidance to teach more women about it!!! Oh... my God is always up to something!! I love it!! :) 

But the week was so RICH!! Here's some quotes: (italicized = my emphsis/thoughts)

Day 1: Maybe some women are more organized. Maybe some live inside stronger (hotter) bodies.  But the truth of our humanity is that NO SUPERWOMAN EXISTS ON THIS EARTH. (what a HUGE reminder to my over-active brain!). We each have been created by God, fully human and walking around with human needs and human frailties.

I AM HUMAN! HE IS ABLE! 

The man declares, I AM WEARY, O God;

I AM WEARY, O God, and WORN OUT! Proverbs 30:1

Day 2: God knows that good work makes a good woman good and tired. WIPED OUT. Flat as a pancake. Work is supposed to make you tired. It's how we're supposed to feel when we've given all we have to take care of our families or to finish a big assignment or to get to the other side of final exams. We're supposed to be tired... You see, we won't EVER get to some spiritual place where we balance just right and delegate just right and never experience weary or worn out again. Honestly, I think if you get there, YOU MAY BE FORSAKING SOME REALLY GREAT WORK GOD IS CALLING YOU TO DO!!! 

Day 3: May of us are doing great worldly things to care for ourselves and yet not living with an INSIDE STRENGTH to counter our SOUL WEARINESS!!!!! - Getting deep here ladies!!! Don't just depend on your coffee (of frap for me), pedicures, and shopping for rest - HE IS OUR STRENGTH! ouch! 

Isaiah 40:28-31 (also used in my previous WORN OUT blog!)

A HOPE FIRMLY CENTERED ON THE LORD RENEWS OUR STRENGTH! 

Day 4: YOUR CREATOR GETS YOU!!! (I love this!! I love when people GET me - I don't think many people truly understand me, but WHAT COMFORT to know that my Savior and Sustainer GETS me!! AHH!) He understands your crazy life. (at least one of us does! ha!) He knows that you work until exhaustion. He SEES how many people need your time, your input, and your energy.  He is COMPLETELY aware of your design. God cares for His worn-out girls. Really and truly HE DOES! 

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened and I WILL GIVE YOU REST!!!  Matthew 28:11 

Day 5: This day was a lot of Scripture that relates to the last 3 provisions. All Scripture is wonderful and refreshing but I loved this thing that I'm about to tell you. This was under provision #8 Godly friends refresh your soul.

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he said that his friends Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (my friends don't have very interesting names) "have refreshed my spirit and yours. You should recognize the value of people like these!!!!" 1 Cor. 16:18. 

Maybe we meet two or three people who refresh our souls. 

As I read this, I just wanted to call my besties and have a cuddle fest!!! I have WONDERFUL women in my life who ASBOLUTELY refresh me like no one else!! I am so grateful for my mommy and my closest friends!! :) You refresh me everytime I talk with you.

But think - Are you a soul refresher?????? 

I pray I am. O... I pray I am. 

That was just a snapshot of my week.  During the video session Angela said something so powerful. If you know me, you know I'm awful with quotes so I can't promise it's accurate but this is what it meant to me:

I WILL NOT LIVE AFRAID OF BECOMING WORN OUT. I WILL LIVE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, BECOME TIRED, AND BE RENEWED BY HIS STRENGTH. I WILL HAVE PERFECT AND ETERNAL REST WITH MY SAVIOR IN HEAVEN!! 

Yay for the first week!!! Hope you were blessed by it too!!!