Guilt Free Rest

I'm pretty sure everyone is in the same boat as us.  Your days off come, you run yourself ragged getting  the things you need to do done.  Then there is the list of things you should  get done.  And finally, the things you want to get done.  The lists seem never ending.   

Then Sunday night arrives and you wonder, "Where has the weekend gone?  I would like a do-over please!!"

This was us almost every Sunday night.   We actually voiced these words, week after week, month after month. And let's be honest, a lot of the things  on our to-do list were self-imposed chores with self-imposed deadlines.

I just finished a study called "Unglued" which I blogged about a couple of weeks ago.  At the very end of the study it discussed  "busyness" and how it can lead to emotional, unglued moments. 

So how do we get out of the vicious circle of busyness??

 After finishing that study I suggested to Michael that from now on, unless we were traveling to see kids,  family, or spending time with friends on a Sunday, we should get necessary things done on Saturday and try our best to leave Sunday for a day of rest as the Sabbath was intended.   Michael was all for it.

The day after we talked about this I was reading John 3:1-21 for my "Hello Mornings"  Bible study group.   John talks about condemnation, and the fact that it does not come from God, but from ourselves and what we perceive as condemnation from others.  

John talks about focusing on God and what He desires of us, rather than what others or ourselves expect.  For me that translated to expectations and how hard I can be on myself to get everything done when I focus on my list rather than God's.   For me, self-imposed expectations could keep me running 24/7. 

I love it when God sends me a message twice, because sometimes (most of the time) I can miss the first one.  And God knows I love reassurance.

Do you have any idea how great it felt to have God's okay to rest and take care of OUR temples, in order to better serve Him?

Now of course this doesn't mean life comes to a standstill at our house on Sundays.  But we definitely needed to get rid of a lot of the "stuff" that was exhausting us.   Of course our children and grandchildren are top priorities on the weekends, as well as spending time with friends and anything we can do to serve someone else.  But of course, none of these are "chores".  It seems the "have to's" are the things that exhaust us over time.

Will it be easy?  No.  It will be difficult to let go of my should list, but we have experienced our second "Sabbath" and they have been awesome.  Not only does it leave us refreshed for God, each other, and our families, but we are returning to work recharged. 

We have discovered it is wonderful to take a break once a week and let a few things slide.  If every load of laundry is not done, the dishwasher has not  been unloaded, and my house isn't neat as a pin the world is not going to come to an end... and if it does, God really won't mind.  

What a great reminder that the busyness and expectations in my life are largely self created and not what God or others have set.

My expectations can be pretty unrealistic:

Laundry done



House vacuumed



Floors swept and mopped



Dusting done



Dishwasher emptied and reloaded



House picked up and neat 



Lawn mowed


And the list goes on and on...

God's expectations are simple:

Believe

Love

Serve

Find your Sabbath.