Commandment #4: Take a day off

I've been reading books on simplicity. I've been listening to sermons online. I've been doing some research. Everything I'm reading and hearing says that we need to rest.

Whether you are 'religious' or not, you've probably heard that the fourth commandment says to Honor the Sabbath. Pastor and author Andy Stanley paraphrases this commandment as "Thou Shalt Take a Day Off."

Take a day off? WHAT? With work, to-do lists, loads of responsibility, cooking, cleaning, errands, kids, etc, etc, how exactly can one afford to take a day off? And what exactly does a 'Sabbath' look like in 2008?

For starters, we can't afford to not take a day off. We need rest to be the kind of homemakers God is calling us to be. To have the energy, the right attitude and to be in our best health for the other six days of the week, we need to rest and rejuvenate physically and mentally.

In case you're not quite sold on the idea of resting for a day.....a good friend of mine said that he was recently challenged when someone said to him: who are you to think that you don't need to obey a commandment set by the God of the universe? Are you so busy, so committed, so over-scheduled that you're telling the Lord you are going to disobey this command?

Hard to argue with that logic, huh?

While Sabbath may seem like a foreign word, I think we all understand the concept of resting and relaxing.

Here are some 'take a day off' ideas:

• Have fun with your family.
• Make a craft (alone, with your spouse or with your kids).
  
• Goof off.
• Read a book.
  
• Take a bubble bath.
• Go on a picnic or a bike ride or take a walk.
  
• Watch a movie together.
• Have conversations with your spouse, family members or kids. Really communicate.
  
• Just don't work.
  

Can you imagine having 24 hours of fun and rest to look forward to each week? You can talk about it with your kids and anticipate it with your spouse. But know that 24 hours of rest will not just happen for you and your family. You need to be intentional about scheduling and planning for this. It can be a Saturday or a Sunday or whatever day works best for you. But I challenge you, as I have been challenged, to take a 24-hour period once every 7 days for the next month and see if it doesn't change your life.

Andy Stanley asks us if we trust God enough that He will provide for us (whether that's money, time, or energy) if we work hard six days and take a day to rest and celebrate. Joanne Heim, author of Living Simply, suggests we should look at it as a guilt-free vacation day each week.

Ladies remember that this too is counter-cultural. We don't live in a society that values rest and relaxation on a weekly basis. If you are going to apply this principle in your life, it's not going to be easy. You're going to have to plan ahead. You're going to have to say no to some enticing activities that are outside the family. But when you honor God with this commandment, you will be blessed, your family will be blessed and you'll be taking another step toward living a life of simplicity.

"May the Sabbath be an oasis of peace, calm and rest in the middle of your life." - Living Simply