Exodus 16:22-30

On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,  ²³ he said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'"  ²⁴ So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it.  ²⁵ Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.  ²⁶ Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none."  ²⁷ On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.  ²⁸ And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?  ²⁹ See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day."  ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

I love summer!!  The warm days, the bright sun, the long evenings all make summer seem like it will go on forever.  I remember as a kid, going to the pool almost every day and playing all day long.  I remember going outside and playing until the street lights came on…and then playing in the backyard until we were called inside.  I remember riding my bike around the block, playing kickball, and swinging on the swing-set.  Summer lasted forever.  Going back to school was always so far away.

Now that I’m an adult, I still love summer.  I still love spending time outside.  But I spend more time on an indoor spin bike than I do outside on my road bike.  I spend more time on a treadmill than hitting the pavement while the sun is still up.  I can only think of a handful of times that I’ve been at a pool over the last five years.  Life is so hectic, my schedule is so crazy, sometimes I forget to rest and play.

Even God rested.  He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Gen 2).  I don’t believe that God really needed to rest, I believe He was setting a precedent for all of us.  We can work six days, but we need to rest, relax, and play on the seventh.  Even when Moses and the Israelites were in the desert, they were instructed to gather food six days of the week and then rest on the seventh.

When is your Sabbath?  When is your day of rest, relaxation, and fun?  Do you work five days a week at a “paying job” and then work the weekends at home?  Do you fill your “days off” with taking care of the yard, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and running errands?  God tells us to rest.  It’s not a suggestion – it’s a command.

God knows that we need rest and relaxation – both for physical recovery and mental/emotional wellbeing.  We can’t keep going and going…we are not the Energizer Bunny.  Eventually our schedules will take a toll and our body, mind, or emotions (if not all three) will start to revolt.

We have 12 weeks until Labor Day…summer is not going to last forever.  Go sit outside and read a book.  Go for a walk with your spouse.  Go play some kickball with the kids (they will love it – and that’s way lifelong memories are made of!!!)  I’m giving you permission to take a day to procrastinate!  You can get it done tomorrow…whatever “it” is.  Go be like a kid and go have some fun! J

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy