Try a little Sabbath

Sometimes, my mind is so cluttered with thoughts. Thoughts that run wild, thoughts that make no sense, and some thoughts that can be productive for what I would like to do.
And then there are the times, when my mind seems to be on vacation. That I don't think-or I don't want to think. That I am "mindless", or want to be.
You know its those times when you just want to veg. Or want to turn the world off and be empty.
Those are the times when I turn on the TV. And I search and search for something mindless to watch. Something that will allow me to escape reality for a bit; either entertaining, or educational. Its just something that I don't have to do. It can be a time when no one needs me or a time of pure escape-just for me.
I might just want to curl up with a book and enter into someone elses reality, or purely enjoy fiction and a story that I would never live.
Man, I love reading. And I read so much. And all types and genres of books. I adore autobiographies, I love historical fiction, I would love to write a medical mystery, I read books to learn about something that I find interesting or that intersects my life. I love spy novels and yet I love romantic fiction. I am especially fond of the classics and a Jane Austin fanatic. And then I read books to inspire my faith, that challenge me to become the woman God has always envisioned me to be.

Others find ways to escape their minds.
One might exercise or pursue their favorite hobbies.
Others escape reality by alcohol or drugs. ( note: probably not the best way).
Sometimes life is just so hard, that we need a break.
We need to be mindless and refreshed.

I imagine this is why God instituted the Sabbath.
He knew we would need to be re-energized.
I mean seriously, if God rested on the "seventh day", and HE is the God of the universe; why oh why would we think we didn't need to rest?
He is God. He is all powerful, and He rested.

Don't you just want to do things differently for a day or part of a day? Get away from the same routine that fills your days? Get your mind off work, or school, or the day in and day out of your "everyday life"?

I certainly do. But I confess that I don't really know how to set aside a Sabbath .
Believe me , I have tried.
There is no doubt in my mind of the value of this. Maybe it was in my years of child-rearing that it seemed almost impossible to do. As I look back on that, why didn't I just swap with my friends? We always traded babysitting, but it seemed as if it was always for something we had to do.
Why would I not have seen taking time off for me as something valuable? To have time for myself, to be with God, to do something I enjoy, to take a much needed nap. Was it that it seemed selfish? How trite.
How is it selfish if we care for our souls, feed our souls, get rested.
I know I would have been a much better mother.

Now it is easier for me to have mini Sabbaths. My time is much free-er. I do set aside parts of my days where I plan to "do nothing", and have nothing scheduled.
I know as younger moms, you think this sounds fine and dandy for her, "she's a grandmother with time on her hands",
"how the heck can I ever make that happen?"

SWAP with your girlfriends. MAKE it happen. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, so that you can be the woman, the mother, the wife, the friend and the daughter you want to be, the one God sees you as.
IT IS NOT SELFISH.
It is nurturing. If the God of the Universe rested, who do we think we are that we don't.
And it is NEEDED.
It is something we need, our bodies, our minds, our schedules need a rest.
We need to "schedule" this into our lives.
We at least need to try.
Try for 4 hours and see what it is like. See if you can see a difference.
If you are single or married-without kids, I know how busy your lives are. Between school,working and exercise and being with friends and other time commitments, you feel over commited, tired and definitely not rested. You too need to be rejuvenated and restored. This is THE TIME in your lives to start this practice.

As I said, I didn't do this when I was younger, but I am trying now. You know the saying, "its never too late to try something new"?  I believe that is true.
I hope you will try this and slowly but surely incorporate it into your lives.
And incorporate into your families lives.
I understand how hard it is to do. I really do. But I have seen its benefits and love them.
I , oh so want my dear husband to do this. I am encouraging without trying to be nagging,
I keep going back to if God needed to rest, how can I not need to rest?