Sabbath

What a beautiful weekend we had as we observed the Sabbath for the first time as a family. 

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Genesis 2:2

I was challenged from the very beginning of the day Friday to maintain peace and joy as we prepared for the Sabbath. I felt spiritually attacked from the get go.Frustrating change of plans, lots of traffic, tears. My nine year old son humbled me with his gentle response by simply placing his hand on my arm and said, "It's OK Mom. God's got this" And He did. I was grateful that the Lord used my son to remind me to always trust Him and focus on Him, not on my circumstances.

With that out of the way, we spent the rest of the day cleaning, baking, and setting our Sabbath table. One of my favorite moments of the day was making the challah. In the book Celebrating Biblical Feasts it said that Jewish mothers will pray for each of their children as they mix and knead the bread dough. I did this and it was a very special moment of focused time communing with the Lord on behalf of the children He has entrusted me with.

With the table set, we began our Sabbath meal. Before the meal is served there are blessings, prayers,and scripture said as well as passing of the cup and breaking of the bread. It was a test of my children's patience but they did very well... even Caleb! I will never forget when Gabe said a blessing over each of our children. The looks on their faces as he spoke these blessings to them were priceless. Then Gabe read Proverbs 31 to me and I cried. It was humbling to be honored in that way. Often I have read Proverbs 31 and thought I will never measure up, but that night I heard those words in a a completely different way. I heard them through the strength of Christ. Through Him I am all those things. I am not enough but He is. Beautifully, humbling moment.

The closeness we shared throughout the night was unlike any other we have had. After dinner we all helped clean up and then spent the rest of the evening just hanging out and  laughing together. Our family bonds were strengthened for sure.

Saturday we focused on quality time together and rest. Gabe and Isaac went mountain biking while I stayed home and played what seemed like every board game we own with Caleb and Julia. That afternoon we took some friends of ours to a show at the Magik theater and then came home to have another special meal together.

I want to observe the Sabbath again with my family. Not only did we grow stronger as a family, we grew closer to the Lord together. I am now looking forward to celebrating Rosh Hashanah next.