Mommy's vacation

I am writing from a Residence Inn in Eagan where my wonderful husband booked me a room for THREE WHOLE DAYS!!!! He's a keeper, that one.

I'm on my third cup of coffee, I've read the newspaper AND a magazine, soaked in the tub until I turned into a prune and watched a chick flick while eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's. I had forgotten what it feels like to have no agenda, schedule, appointments, responsibilities, chores, or "to do" list! Or what it feels like to sleep, uninterrupted, throughout the entire night. Simple pleasures are best.

This whole thing has got me thinking about the Sabbath rest, though. I think most of us Pentecostals dismiss this idea based on Colossians ("let no man judge you concerning what you eat and drink, or how you observe a festival, etc...") and on Jesus saying "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath". We look at the commandment to rest as legalistic and say things like "since Jesus is my sabbath rest, I can be constantly working, doing, going." We are especially guilty of this in regards to church/ministry work. But I'm thinking we've let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction. God did not give His law out of some sick, power hungry tormentor mindset. He doesn't look at us as playthings. He gave the law out of love for us and because He knows what's best. I'm realizing that more and more as I grow in Him. I used to obey out of obligation or fear. My obedience was nothing more than a checklist. At the end of the day, hopefully I had more good checks than bad checks. How wrong and insulting to our Father is this? I now have freedom from that legalistic mindset - but it is not freedom to live however I please. It is freedom to obey out of LOVE - there is a BIG DIFFERENCE!!! I understand when Paul writes that "all things are permissible, but not all things are profitable". I don't have to get bogged down in the letter of the law and miss the spirit - the intent. The Sabbath was made for man because MAN NEEDS REST. We function better with it. We keep the proper perspective and attitude when we are not hurried or stressed. We we are rested, we are peaceful and can be confident with our decisions. It is easier to trust, to love, to help, to hear, and ultimately to do.

I do not believe I will go to hell if I choose to ignore this command. On the contrary, I believe it will get me to Heaven much quicker than I plan. I realize now that this is not an option God has given us, it is a mandate...for our own good and the good of those we love. It was nice to get away and be alone for an extended period. But I can't do that very often and I certainly don't want to get to the point of overwhelming exhaustion that I was at before I get another "rest". I need to learn to rest weekly - physically, mentally, and spiritually. To take one day out of seven to focus on the big picture and not even bat an eye at the things of this world. To remember what is eternal and what is temporary - and assess my attitude towards both.

Praise be to God for His mercies that are renewed daily to us. I'm still growing and learning - and I wouldn't have it any other way. It is kinda funny, though. The more I learn, the more I realize I NEED to learn and the farther away perfection seems. Oh, well - that's probably the point, isn't it?