One Seventh

I took this picture at the campsite my wife Toni and I spent three days at last summer.  No cell phone, no laptop, no electricity… (my world unraveled). It was quiet and I was quiet. That almost never happens in my life.

There is a world of difference between squeezing one more thing in and actually pausing to celebrate something of significance.

That’s why working God into the rhythm of family life can sometimes feel like “Hey, let’s talk about that Bible passage while you brush your teeth and, don’t forget to grab your lunch before you fly out the door.”  Weaving God into the fabric of every day family life is good at any level.

So do that, but don’t miss this.  God created us with the idea that one seventh of our lives is going to be spent resting. Resting in his presence, actually.  Not squeezing God in. Pausing. Unplugging. Doing nothing we might consider productive.

It’s called Sabbath.  And the Hebrew Sabbath established that every seventh day would be spent doing…nothing.  Nothing except lingering in the presence of God to worship.   This was so programmed into Hebrew culture that every seventh year, they weren’t supposed to plant any crops and every 50th year (after seven sevens) they were to celebrate the year of Jubilee, when the nation celebrated God for 365 days.  Plus there were many other holidays and feast days on top of all that.  Seems to me God thinks there is value in rest and celebration.

What would this look like in your life… in your family? If you really took one day a week to worship God and celebrate with each other, what would happen to the quality of your relationships?  How would your priorities shift?  What would happen to your relationship with God?  Think about it…the implications are significant.

I’m not saying we should go back to the Old Testament calendar, but I am saying families need to rest more, to worship more, to stop celebrating doing and to start celebrating being.

How could you take a step toward rest in your family life?  What do you think it would do to your family’s relationship with each other and God if you celebrated more?