Do you have a special day of reflection and rest during the week, i.e. a Sabbath? There are no excuses not to have one, even during your busiest times. In fact, that’s when you need it the most.
- A day when you don’t do any real work and rest your body.
- A day where you decompress, have fun, and let your emotions recharge.
- A day when you think about life’s bigger picture and refocus your spirit.
- A day for yourself.
- Being grateful for
- who you are,
- where you are,
- what you are going through (good and bad),
- where you are going, and
- what you have.
- Serving others in a meaningful way and truly connecting with them.
- Letting yourself notice and appreciate things that slipped by during the week.
It doesn’t really matter which day is your Sabbath. Mine is on Saturday. My pastor’s is on Monday. To some, Friday is. To others, it’s Sunday. What does matter is that you have one. Being obedient is critically important to finding your life’s purpose. The Sabbath was made for us.
I know what you’re saying, I don’t have time to take a whole day off. Nonsense. When I examined how “busy” I was, I discovered much of it was self-imposed stuff that crept into my life. 80% was fluff. I felt busy but was rudderless. I was spending too much energy and time on insignificant things. They were not adding value or meaning to my life or relationships.
My solution? Have you ever tended to a plant, tree, or vine? I started to treat my time as though it was a vine. I cut off every branch that was not bearing fruit and pruned the branches that were bearing fruit so that they would be even more fruitful.
The results have been amazing. I made time for my Sabbath. I am seeing life with more clarity than ever. I wake up every day with passion and purpose. I have more energy and joy. My spirit is calm and peaceful, even when surrounded by chaos.
I understand why I’m here. I am created to encourage others to feed their good wolf and discover their uniqueness. Honoring the Sabbath is the critical path to fulfilling that purpose. There is not an excuse good enough for me to not be obedient.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know He enjoys giving rest to those He loves?
Psalm 127:2
Put a stake in the ground and enjoy a Sabbath. Trim the vine. Quality of time is more important than quantity. Don’t get sucked into what everyone else is doing, filling up schedules with too much meaningless stuff. Be a contrarian. Be a neighbor.
Be a neighbor by creating margin in your life so you can tend to others’ needs. Life does not consist of an abundance of possessions. Regardless of your net worth, God wants you to be rich in the assets of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The value of these assets isn’t decreased by a sell-off in the stock market, nor can it be destroyed by inflation. These assets are the fruit of a contented and ambitious spirit.
An ambition that serves others is properly placed. It does not serve one’s ego or status but seeks to elevate others’ acceptance of themselves, helping them feel worthy to stretch themselves to live a life of significance. I am contented and can honestly say I live in a state of peaceful happiness. For that, I am grateful. However, I can also say that I am determined to continually improve my relational competency so that I can impact more lives for the better. To reach more minds and hearts to propel them into a meaningful existence. To work in service to others so that they can ascend to their highest level as a human. That’s my motivation. That’s what drives me.
Getting to that point was not easy. It took intentionality, hard work, time, and patience. Honoring the Sabbath created the foundation. Trimming the vine enabled it.
Some of you reading this need to do less so that you’ll have more time to do what matters most. No excuses.
This post was originally published on February 25, 2018, and is republished today with meaningful enhancements.
MindWolves 