“Look both ways before crossing the street.” “Eat your carrots.” “Did you say thank you?” I’ve said these words more than I care to admit. I try to be faithful in teaching my kids the importance of safety, good health and proper manners. And of God’s blueprint for their lives.
Selflessness, obedience, defense of the weak — over the years, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to coach our kids toward a better understanding of how God desires us to live.
Over time, I noticed that some of God’s plan didn’t seem that important to our family, particularly that whole concept of Sabbath rest.
Here’s the deal, Paul, and I have been modeling God’s design on something of a sliding scale.
Integrity, honesty, respecting authority —Important.
Sabbath Sundays –Not that important.
By the way, isn’t that a bit old-fashioned? An hour or two in church should be sufficient, right? And then we can get on with the business of the day, which in some ways doesn’t look much different from any other day.
God didn’t make the Sabbath a gentle suggestion. He made it a command.
Even God rested after a week of stitching together the universe. And if you flip to Exodus, He made Sabbath a commandment for His chosen people. Once, when I asked a Sunday school class what a commandment was, a little boy responded with, “A commandment is something a king says.” A great answer, I thought.
Here’s What I Do – I Play Worship Music
I wake up before the rest of my family. It’s just my thing. So, instead of rousing my kids one by one, I turn on worship music. We have a Bose stereo in our family room set to my favorite worship music. My favorite Pandora channel right now is Lauren Daigle, in case you’re wondering what’s playing in my house right now.
On Sundays, we set apart this day by playing worship music all day. It’s our way of reminding us who He is. The funny thing is, when worship music is on it’s a lot harder to argue and stomp around the house. The Holy Spirit infuses our home in ways that are His alone.
Our King has designed Sabbath as a time for rest and worship. And what’s more, God has designed us to need this rest. I tell my kids that we’ve been made with a “Sabbath DNA.” God has wired us to need this rest and reset for peace in our lives.
Begin your Sabbath the way we do. Set the tone by waking your family with songs about the very One who made them and you.
- How does the Sabbath look different than the rest of the week in your home?
- Think of something you can do or not do to set apart this day.
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