Mind The Sabbath
#WordOfTheWeek
Weekly words of wisdom by Jeff C. Whitaker
I'm in the midst of a two-month Sabbath streak. As a Christian, this is not a bragging point. It's a commandment. It's in the top five commandments and not five, only after three commandments about the fear of God in detail (1. No gods before Him, 2. No idol worship, 3. No saying his name in vain), technically making it the second most important commandment. While I strongly emphasize the technicality of this statement made in jest because all the commandments are equally important (murder is sixth), it is worth noting that there has never been a notable Sabbath trial for someone who works every day, and I doubt we will see one in the future.
It’s a commandment. It’s in the top five commandments and not five…all the commandments are equally important.
This series, being less technical and more personal, focuses on the current thought of the season more than some abstract theology. This week's reference to the Sabbath appeared to me first on my seventh consecutive Sabbath. I did not sleep Friday night, and after Saturday morning prayer, car maintenance, and a cheeseburger, I was considering writing, driving about two hours to a gathering, and cleaning my car and home, all before doing some job apps with the leftover time.
However, since it was a four-day weekend, I could do all that on Sunday or Monday, excluding the gathering. I assume the gathering was fun, and I'm lying if I said I was going just for fellowship. Beautiful single women (a prayer point of mine this season) flooded the guest list, but something—which I now know was the Holy Spirit—told me to cut my hair and nap on it. I went to sleep around 1:45 PM.
I woke up to my usual Sunday alarm at 5 AM.
The only interruption to my sleep was the odd dream I had involving an Ex, which is in a series of weird dreams I've been having since being sober. I will cover this sometime in the distant future, but otherwise, I slept so deep I had no shame about it. I used the rest, and I needed a Sabbath. I woke up and initially thought, "The Sabbath is clutch!"
As I got ready for church, I felt as comfortable and routine as a pre-work routine Monday morning, the first day of the week. I thought, "Sunday is the start of the week for a reason. I need to make it the start of my work week." In this context, Saturday is genuinely the weekend. The difference between Sabbath being "The day that I do nothing" and Saturday being "A day I do whatever" is huge.
"Nothing" means no work, while "Whatever" means whatever in this context. On "Whatever Saturdays," I clean the house, wash the car, do some writing, and organize my life. Then, on other "Whatever Saturdays," I play ball, eat trash food, cut my hair, and sleep the rest of the day. Doing whatever provides no structure for my life and lets me loosely define work.
On "Nothing-Saturdays," that's the only day I can guarantee I have time to play ball, sleep all day, and do nothing. "Nothing" in this context also means no work, a source of income, pride, honor, respect, and even community. Cleaning the house and washing the car are chores, ways to maintain peace and clarity, and even meditative if you're a little crazy like me, but much like lifting weights, task-based meditation is still a task. Driving an hour for a gathering is where the gathering became "Something" and not "Whatever" and not "Nothing."
The difference between Sabbath being “The day that I do nothing” and Saturday being “A day I do whatever” is huge. “Nothing” means no work, while “Whatever” means whatever in this context.
Then, on Sunday morning, I read my routine (NLT) Bible and landed on Isaiah 58:13, "Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly."
Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests… Enjoy the Sabbath… Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day… Don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
Talk about timeliness. #Godspeed #PatienceIsAVirtue With no FOMO (Fear of missing out) on the previous day's gathering, I was encouraged that I made the right decision, the righteous decision. The singles I was interested in potentially mingling with almost cost me one and a half to two hours or more of driving during a holiday weekend. That does not factor in the gas money, money spent on food to bring, a gift, and at least a clean white T, if not more. Add in the stress of mall shopping under time constraints and other potential factors of dealing with people after a sleepless night and busy day, and you can see how encouraging the command to honor the Sabbath was. I enjoyed it and am currently "speaking of it with delight."
"Following my desire" to "talk idly" with women is a pretty direct violation of this commandment in terms of Isaiah 58:13, as well. I not only highlighted this verse, but I grabbed an additional pen to underline it. My excitement (and unusual energy) allowed me to rush to shower, get dressed, and start this draft before I knew what I would publish this week. I knew Sabbath was a #WordoftheWeek level message, and drafting the idea was much wiser than letting unintentional inspiration lead this week's post.
The King James Version of the Bible mentions The Sabbath more than 170 times. Presumably, "Mind the Sabbath" is believers' word of the month, year, and lifetime. With so much of society borrowing from the Bible, you would think a part of the definition of "illegal" or "unsafe work practice" would include dishonoring the Sabbath.
I do not follow the Sunday Sabbath because I serve in the church, even when not scheduled. I also like to clean my house on Sunday. If I cook — which is rare and work, not therapeutic or meditative to me— I will cook Sunday. I could wash my car any time, but it is a personal interest project and more "Whatever" than "Nothing" to me.
On the other side of this Sabbath coin, playing ball on a Saturday before resting is more dangerous than a fun workout because I like being presentable on Sunday and the first day of the week. However, after a hard week of work, Thursday or Friday night ball presents many more excusable and valid reasons for playing. I also have more time in the week when I cook, clean, and do other chores exclusively on Sunday. It's both a built-in excuse and a scheduling tool. I only have time to be extra social in the evenings and after church on Sunday, and I am limited by the importance of a rested Sunday night. I can more confidently say "Yes" and "No" to social invitations because if it does not work on Saturday, I immediately think, "Would I naturally want to do this Saturday, even though there's no immediate potential to gain out of personal interest?"
The more common "No" happens without shame, which becomes less stressful every time I say it, and the rare "Yes" happens with childlike excitement and enthusiasm because of how unique and special this occasion must be. In the same way, "minding my business" makes vision and mission-based decision-making a simple process. The self-respect gained in communicating what you mean and meaning what you say through a disciplined life is priceless. So this week, I urge you, as I remind myself, to "Mind the Sabbath."
In the same way, “minding my business” makes vision and mission-based decision-making a simple process. The self-respect gained in communicating what you mean and meaning what you say through a disciplined life is priceless.
Comment with your thoughts or share them with someone — kindly, gently, and gracefully — or with a friend who may need the reminder. Clap if you find yourself meditating on something different and want more thoughts like this. Subscribe to receive weekly thoughts directly to your email and any other ideas I may have in the theology and self-development realm. I also have a Twitter/X with mostly basketball content, too.
See you next week!
