Reflections on Sabbath Keeping - Part 1

I remember my initial reaction one Monday morning, once I went back to having my days off after Sunday, having that dreaded feeling of having to be forced to socialize with people. For some reason, I equated talking with people that had anything connected remotely to ministry as "work". I defined that as breaking Sabbath.

For some reason, I felt like Sabbath meant alone time. Not really alone time with God but alone time away from people.

But slowly, the dread faded away. Instead of becoming something that I was dragged to, it became bearable and then eventually enjoyable. It felt good to know that I  can meet people on a Monday, talk about church stuff, and not feel stressed by the encounter.

So maybe, my Sabbath is not really about getting away from people. Maybe my Sabbath is about having the freedom to talk about spiritual matters not because I have to but because I want to. That if I can enjoy doing something with no regard to whether there is a ministry angle to the investment of time, then that is actually a place of rest for me.

I also think that there are people that we can talk to that  refreshes us for different reasons. So talking with these kinds of people and being around them is not work or burden but rest.