MY FAVORITE DAY
by John Hever
Hi, my name’s John and I’m a workaholic. Or at least, I would be. Except…
Years ago, I read this. As recorded in the gospel of Mark, Jesus once had a face-off with the religious hypocrites of His day, who insisted that He was breaking the Sabbath, one of the Big Ten. “Then Jesus told them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath'” (Mark 2:27). I came to realize that taking a day off each week, in order to intentionally stop working, remember God, and get centered again was intended by my Creator to bless me. It is not a rule that I’m under, an obligation. It is, indeed, an invitation. “Cease striving, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
This is why the Sabbath is my favorite day. For me, it’s not just a day to relax, stop working, and watch some sports, though it is that. It is a day to remember God, and more precisely, to remember that God is God, and I’m not. It is a time to yield the chaos of my life to Him, to dial back the white noise of endless demands on me, such that the voice of God might become a tad more clear. Here’s some of the stuff I reflect on during my Sabbath:
- Have I enjoyed the great privilege of being a child of God?
- Have I allowed anything to rob me of vision and hope?
- Have I neglected the non-essentials of life in order to succeed in what really matters?
- Have I spent time simply enjoying life?
- Have I loved my wife well, and pursued her emotionally and spiritually?
- Have I loved my kids well, invested into them?
I can’t wait until next Sabbath.
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