Jessica, Sarah, Kesley

Arrival was a bit chaotic, as we registered, I hurried to a faculty dinner, and we found our way around. The next morning, we were eager to start our classes and enjoy the mountains.






Of course, I got to meet some great people. I met Paula 11 years ago when I went to the conference the first time.

It was hard to say goodbye, but we had a lovely drive to the airport. Kelsey and I had already said goodbye to Jessica, who had left on Saturday.

I've been thinking a lot about the Sabbath of late. Why? There are a lot of deadlines and projects that feel like they have to be done...yesterday. For years, our family has kept all electronics other than our phones off on Sundays. We even turn off the internet. It is amazing how restful it is when you shut everything off.  We also don't plan on a lot of chores other than the things that have to be done.

On the flip side, I've been reading in the gospel where the religious leaders took this principle too far. They had come up with extra rules that made it a burden. They would water their animals but were angered when Jesus healed. They made the Sabbath so much about not working, it became a burden just to keep up. Of course, this was never what God had intended.

I went back to that first rest that God took. Those two verses that I shared at the beginning seem so simple on the surface. Take another look. When you are looking for the why behind the Sabbath, those verses say a lot. The biggest of which is that God cares a whole not about us. After all, the God who never grows tired or weary. He didn't need a break, he was setting an example.

The first part of the verse also stood out to me. He had finished what He had been doing. He hadn't finished all His work he would ever do (clearly since He is still working on me), He finished creation and took a rest.

Sometimes there are things that need to be done that spill over into my Sabbath. However, so many times, I'm giving into the tyranny of the urgent and missing the blessings that God has for following His plans. I've had a lot on my plate right now. It is hard to stop everything on Sunday, to not write that book review, schedule that blog post, or do just a little editing. Yet, I keep coming back to those passages of scripture.

This is something each of us must examine for ourselves. After all, Jesus also made it very clear that not all work was bad and that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

What do you think?

It's 3:00am, and I'm wide awake. Oh, don't worry. I've been sound asleep. I've slept very well despite the fact that I'm not in my own home. I woke up because my dreams were odd. You know the kind. They are not nightmares, they are the kind that are brought on by to much of something. Too much food, too much built up frustration, or (as in my case) too much TV. I watched three episodes of a show before bed, on top of the three the day before. That might not sound like excessive to you, but I knew it was for me. I didn't even enjoy the show yet I felt like I needed to watch some while I could.

So why am I up at 3:00am writing this? Because I woke up, checked to make sure I hadn't woken because something was needed and then started praying. As I was praying, I think I was nudged by Jesus to think about why I would waste my time like that. It didn't use to be like me. I mean, a few years ago during a time of depression it was but this is different. I asked God to give me the wisdom to see why I would feel compelled to keep watching when I didn't even feel like it. The answer was pretty easy.

I was hiding.

Odd, as I have thought I've been doing pretty well at facing things head on of late. Perhaps I have, but I was still hiding. Friendships have been complicated, my life is very different at this point than I thought it would be, and my body still can't keep up with everyone else. Yes, I was hiding. Hiding from sending texts to that friend because sometimes I second guess if they are welcome or not. Hiding the fact my heart is breaking that two kids I've watched grow up are headed out of my life. Hiding my frustration that I can't seem to get through to a sibling. Hiding from being overwhelmed by the amount I need to do.

Movies and games are great places to hide. I don't have to think, I don't have to feel (not really). I can just turn off my brain and watch the story unfold. It isn't like the books I read where I'm confronted by the message, see myself in the characters, and sometimes even moved to tears because I know the feeling.

Here, at 3:00am, I will ask God's forgiveness for the time I've wasted. I will ask Him to help me to stop hiding. I will change my habits and find ways to rest my brain, to give it the break it needs without hiding.

What has God been teaching you?