Sabbath.

A few weeks ago, my roommate and I prayerfully entered into a fast.  This consisted of eating only fruits and vegetables for the week (the cool kids are calling this a Daniel fast - see Daniel 1).  We also chose to cut out Facebook for the week and I decided to make it into a full-blown 'friend fast'.  

That week was fantastic.  Beth and I talk about it frequently, we talk about what the fast taught us and the ways that God revealed Himself to us.  I cannot lie to you and tell you that the week was all rainbows and butterflies; there were times when we were annoyed, tired, and just wanted coffee or touch of salt on our asparagus.  But, the week was so, so amazing and those little frustrations were really petty and superficial.  

My favorite part about the fast was the amount of intentional time spent with my Father, which is why I also chose to partake in a 'friend fast'.  Prior to the fast, I realized that I found myself reaching out to others first.  It became apparent that seeking God, through prayer and His Word, became a second option.  To my disappointment, I was doing something that I hated and had encouraged my friends not to do.  Now to be clear, I love my friends and my family; I love community and value gospel friends in my life.  But, I would argue that God is present and eternal and desires for us to desire Him in our lives; I believe that we should bring our cares and worries before the Lord and lay them down at His feet.  I know this, I believe this, but I was not doing that. So, I took a little break from the world and I am so thankful.  

I found that prayer and being in the Word became more necessary.  Both had always been a part of my life, but when I took away people and my normal sources of energy, I was forced to rely on something bigger and greater than man.  When I was joyful or discontent, it did not matter - my heart and mind desired to be filled with God - exactly what was needed.  Mmm.  Amen.  

There are countless things that I learned during the fast (which may turn into blog topics in the future..), but one unmistakable lesson that I walk away with is realizing the beauty, blessing, and importance of constantly being in communion with God. I desire that all of the time.

This reminded me of something I thought a lot about this summer - the ten commandments.  [If I remember right, this was the theme of speaker at Camp Joy the week that I counseled this summer.  Unfortunately, I do not have the memory that I once had - oh, the joys of aging.]  But one thing that really made me think was the idea of observing the Sabbath day.  When I was younger, I just thought of it as an Old Testament practice - something old and outdated.  And then as I got older, I convinced myself that I was far too busy to take a whole day off to spend with God.  But now, I feel called to do this - to observe the Sabbath day.  My heart belongs to God and I fully desire to reserve the Sabbath for Him.  He has all of me the six other days of the week too, but I will cut away more of the crazy from my Sundays to glorify Him.  

I do not desire to become legalistic in this intentional observation.  I know that there is nothing that I can do to gain my salvation - my righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22).  My salvation is apart from the law; but we do not overthrow the law, we uphold it (Rom. 3:21, 31).  The law is not an annoying list of things we should not do, it makes us aware of our sin and ultimately our need for a Savior (Rom. 3:20).  And wow, do I need a Savior!  I know that I cannot maintain the law, but I strive to become like Jesus - to pursue holiness - because I want my life to glorify God.  I desire to glorify Him who saved my life.  

What do I hope to gain from this?  Primarily, I hope to strengthen my relationship with Christ.  I am looking forward to more time alone with God, seeking and pursuing Him.  I also plan on strengthening my relationships with others; I hope to get more involved in the lives of others and deepen connections I have made.  I wish to improve my time management so that I do not put myself in difficult situations regarding all of my commitments come Sunday.  And I hope to serve others and take care of myself in this time.  

[For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. -Exodus 20:11]

Do I think God needed to rest on the seventh day?  No, I do not.  But He did and He made it holy.  I'm looking forward to taking a break from all of the craziness to pursue that holiness.