Friday’s post was about the Sabbath as a day of rest. People view and observe the Sabbath differently. One comment asked about my particular practice on my day off and I thought I’d answer the question with this post.

My prayer is for this weekly day to be a day of refreshment. I want to experience as many of the following as possible (in no particular order of priority):

  • Relaxation
  • Recreation
  • Relationships
  • Reading
  • Reflection/Restoration
[It wasn’t my goal to come up with “R” words, but it does make it easier for me to remember them.]

Here’s a quick summary of each:

Relaxation: I take it easy. I sleep in. I don’t fill the day with a lot of activities. I try to maintain an attitude of rest throughout the day.

Recreation: I usually feel better and accelerate my rest after some form of exercise. It may be at the gym, but it’s usually a long walk or hike with Cathy (we live within 1 mile of some beautiful hikes).

Relationships: Any time I choose to spend time with someone of my day-off is a relationship that inspires me, breathes into me, and is rewarding for me to be with. No work meetings, just friendship.

Reading: Because I read so much during the week for my message preparation, this reading is usually light and fun. A slow saunter thru the newspaper, a fiction, my mountain bike magazine, easy-to-read stuff, etc…

Reflection/Restoration: This term describes my extended time with God. I’ll usually reflect on the past week, look thru my calendar, and think about what I might have missed that God had laid out for me. A busy, people/action packed week doesn’t allow me the reflection I really want/need. “Restoration” is my term for personal soul-care. It’s my personal time of worship: prayer, silence, Bible, and journaling.

Again, there’s no usual order to these, I just try to experience them all throughout the day. For 29 years I was employed by the church and my Sabbath was Monday. I was usually so tired after a long day at church on Sunday, Monday became a very sacred day. Now that I’m not employed by a church, if I’m not traveling, I’ll go to church on Saturday night and Sunday has become my day of rest (but, most weekends I’m speaking somewhere and Monday is my day of rest).

I’m definitely no expert on the Sabbath, but I am very consistent on taking a day off.

So that’s what I do…what about you? Please share.