I have a confession. It takes a lot of work to keep the Sabbath day of rest. Why is it so hard to rest, one day out of seven? I know it is a commandment, I know that even the non-religious researchers purport the value of rest. Athletes know this. But, I get distracted by things — the internet is probably the biggest one for me. That and multi-tasking.

You may be able to do two or three things at a time, but you can’t really listen to two things at a time. Your mind will focus on one, at the exclusion of the other, or jump back and forth between the two. Your mind only allows you to think of one thing at a time. When writing, I have to block out external noise.

Things of the spirit are spiritually discerned. Meditation, prayer, and quiet help you focus and hear. I guess that is one of the reasons to set aside a day of rest. Rest from the things of the world. A day of reflection and gratitude, a day to study and search for greater meaning in my life. A day to get in touch with my spiritual side–to develop it further. It all makes sense, but it is still hard to do.
I have tried to help my kids make their own choices — I give them guidance, so that they can feel good about making the choice themselves. Of course, (another confession) I have been known, in the past to hide the modem (that dates me) from the boys so that they could not play their on-line games. But they would find it. My next sneaky attack — I ventured out to the circuit-breaker box on the side of the house and turned off the power to the computer room and then padlocked the power box. All of this was to avoid confrontation and power struggles. I never got angry about all the shenanigans — I too know how hard it is to keep the Sabbath.
One of the words of counsel that helped me explain to them that game playing–even though a “brotherly bonding time”— was not a good Sunday activity comes from Isaiah:

 

“If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 58:13-14)

Of course, it can become pleasurable to study the scriptures, to do a little searching and pondering, but I believe what Isaiah is referring to is the other pleasures that we pursue. And that was the key to avoiding a day of gaming on the Sabbath. And television. And hanging out in a beach cafe. And reading the news and sorting through my email.

There are many distractions which are often hard to avoid, more today than in years past. It takes a conscious choice to observe the Sabbath. It requires effort “to rest” from the things of this world.
But I am a better person, a more calm and focused person when I take that commandment and make it mine. It can become a day that I look forward to, as I put away the things of this earthly time, the trials and troubles, and focus on the higher, more perfect life to come. The Sabbath, the seventh period of creation is a small glimpse, a symbol and reminder of the last seven thousand years–the millennial era of peace.
And that is the example or pattern to fashion our weekly day of rest. We get some guidance, but the details are left up to us.
800px-Der_Samstug_(Saturday)

Der Samstag (Saturday). Germany, c. 1800. Handcolored engraving. Hebrew Union College, Skirball Museum, Los Angeles. Based on a Frederich Campe painting, it depicts Jews gathered outside a synagogue on the Sabbath. The men are wearing flat, round hats called baretta. The eight-pointed star on the corner of the synagogue is a traustein.

God reposing on Sabbath day. Illustration from the first Russian engraved Bible, 1696

God reposing on Sabbath day. Illustration from the first Russian engraved Bible, 1696