If It's Important To you....

 Sometimes the greatest gifts are the most unexpected and something you never realized you wanted until it was given. ~ Mark Hamill
 
Elizabeth Grace, our older daughter, has a special friendship with our Aunt Denise. When we drove to visit her in NC some months ago Elizabeth found a rock at a rest area that she regarded as special. Into her pocket it went and when she got to her Aunt's house she gave it to her. Aunt Denise closely examined the very ordinary rock, stated how sweet it was of her to think of her and she put it in a place of honor on her mantle, "so it would be safe and everyone would see it." Aunt Denise lived very far away. They rarely saw each other, but when she spoke with her aunt, Elizabeth would ask, "do you still have the rock I gave you?" Of course it was a yes. When Aunt called she would ask me to tell Elizabeth she still had her rock.  The whole situation is so sweet. That rock, of no physical value, is a reminder to her Aunt Denise that Elizabeth loves her. Aunt Denise keeping that rock tells Elizabeth that she loves her too. People have asked about the rock and Aunt Denise explains that is something special between her and Elizabeth. Her special gift. Being wired the way I am, it made me reflect on the Sabbath. We, like many people, take 24 hours every week and focus on God, family and rest. To me, Sabbath is kind of like that rock. When we first learned about the practice of "keeping Sabbath," like Christ did, we had little understanding of it. Much like the day that Aunt received her rock, we didn't realize how special and guarded it would become. We had crossed the Rubicon. At first it was an understanding that it was important to God and therefore it was important to us. Once we started observing this special time we realized, at least in part, the huge benefits. Our first Sabbath found me that Friday scrambling to get food ready. Making sure loose ends were tied shut and clothes were laid out for the next day, but we did it. Rob and I by nature are hard workers and are constantly going. 24 hours of not working sounded like a lot of hours, but we had a sincere desire to follow Christ closely so we leaped. I fondly remember our first Sabbath. All of us were snuggled under a blanket on the couch that Friday night watching a movie and eating pizza. Rob and I looked at each other and smiled. Even this early in the game, we knew we caught the edge of something awesome. The next morning was church. We reheated our second pizza from Friday night for lunch. We did puzzles, played games, went for twalks (Robert's term for our walks because we spend most of the time talking to each other and neighbors :) and dinner prepared the night before got placed in the oven to reheat so we had an effortless dinner, dessert and more relaxing. It was awesome! As a mom, I couldn't remember a more restful day or a day I was more available to my family physically and emotionally. As a mother that was powerful. When we tucked our girls in it was still light. We read stories and said our prayers as a family. Elizabeth with the most joy and excitement said, "that was the best day ever, can we do it again?" Rob said he agreed and that we would be doing this every week. She was so happy. Rob and I spent time relaxing as a couple and talking about anything but work or business. That was kind of like being teens again when bills and business didn't creep into most conversations. It was a blessing. God's ways are best. Always. We guard the Sabbath. We keep it every week. Like Elizabeth's rock, people have cocked there heads and asked why. We are glad to explain. We are grateful for the gift of a weekly sabbath and are always excited to share about it. We were able to share about this with good friends of ours who were on the brink of divorce. Observing Sabbath completely restored their marriage. I don't believe it was strictly the observance of the day, but also what it represents which is a turning to God and keeping Him central in your life. The Sabbath in short is something special between us and God. Our special gift. It has been thoroughly transformational to our family. We love sharing about this and pulling people over to the bright side. If you are curious about the Sabbath and have questions you are welcome to contact Rob or I and if you are local, welcome to stop over on any Saturday for a Sabbath Bible study. Expect treats, hot coffee and fellowship. :) ~ Dagney

Hebrews 4:9 Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God's people