I've been observing a 24 hour sabbath day (sundown Friday- sundown Saturday) for over a year now. It's absolutely my favorite day of the week, and one I'm always tweaking a little as I remember where Sabbath came from and what the goal of keeping it in my own heart and home is.
If you're wondering what to do/ not do on your own Sabbath day, I think the word "REORIENT" is helpful. How can we reorient (or reset) our lives around God and His Kingdom every 7 days?
Questions to ask:
✨Where does my life feel chaotic and dark rather than ordered and filled with light?
✨How am I living/ not living like an image bearer of God?
✨Am I faithfully ruling "the land" God has given me and multiplying goodness?
✨Where am I trusting my own efforts to provide rather than God's?
✨What am I tempted to lean on beyond Christ when I'm sad, stressed, or panicked?
How this plays out:
👉🏼 I don't do my Dear Mushka work, but instead trust God to work in the background while I am not.
👉🏼 I try not to use the internet/ social media because it tricks me into thinking I can have, learn, and know everything and everyone; I have to reorient my mind to truth.
👉🏼 I make a yummy dinner and we watch a movie, which is a sign in our family that we are safe and stable through Christ.
👉🏼 We light a Sabbath candle for 24 hours (not while we're sleeping) to keep our eyes focused on Christ as the Light of the World and the source of our Eternal Rest.
👉🏼 I spend time praying and reading Spiritual books, which keeps my mind focused on God's truth and goodness.
👉🏼 I try not to shop or plan our upcoming week, because shopping and planning can quickly turn into idols for me.
Our kids don't have to do school work or a daily home chore (the other days of the week they have a specific area of the house to help clean). This helps me take a pause from being the teacher/main home care taker and also offers rest to our children.
Here are a few books I recommend if you're looking to begin this practice:
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Here are a few products I use on this day:
My Daily Bread Tabs & Prayer Cards- because more than anything, I want this to be a day to communte with the Lord