Make Sunday a Day of Rest

People feel helpless. They are exhausted. Due to the relentless demands of preparing for exams, writing papers, and caring for children, family time seems to be a thing of the past. We need to urge people to lay aside everyday tasks once a week for a day of rest. Sunday should be a time for spiritual growth, family activities, restoration, reading and spiritual refreshment. It might seem impossible. Sunday is usually a catch-up day. You might think, "a day of rest? How? Dirty diapers don't stop on Sundays. Besides, I barely have time to read the grocery ads, let alone Christian books!" Can you relate? Does taking a day of rest seem like an impossible luxury? A passage in Isaiah that says, "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord." In biblical times, keeping the Sabbath was meant to be a delight, not a duty. Keeping the Sabbath would bring great rewards of rejuvenation and joy! Here's how we can make Sunday special: First, begin to plan ahead. Take some time Saturday evening to do the ironing and preparing the next day's dinner to prevent Sunday-morning chaos. Second, set aside time to focus on the Lord. Before going to church, create a worshipful atmosphere by playing praise music on your stereo. After church, and after a leisurely meal, you can enjoy reading Christian books. And third, take time for each other. Sunday afternoons could be spent on a date. Look forward to an undistracted, unhurried time together. Friend if you've not done so already, ask the Lord for wisdom in how to spend your Sunday. Consider how your family might make that day a very special time. If making such a commitment is scary to you, just give it a try. That same joy, my friend, can be yours. Take time to rest in the Lord! Many people cannot do this because they work on Sundays. I, for instance, work on Sunday. I have to because that's one of the five days that I am scheduled to work. I work while my husband is home taking care of our baby. My husband works while I am home taking care of our baby. We hardly ever see each other. He has weekends and evenings off, and I work evenings and weekends. I believe that the government should step in and make Sunday a day of rest where all businesses must be closed. Everything must be closed on Sundays, including all gas stations, grocery stores, department stores, small business, and large businesses. We need a day when people are forced to spend time with their families. I believe that this world would be a better place if people would spend more time with their families and less time working. TV is another obstacle in families spending time together. But that's another issue. I would like to see a new law in government in the near future to force all businesses to be closed on Sundays so that nobody has to work on the Sabbath. Thank you.