Today, I’m taking a break. Today is my Sabbath.
For those of you not familiar with this term, it comes from the Bible when God created Earth, the animals and mankind in 6 days and then took a day to rest. It’s also included in the 10 Commandments, where God said to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
I was raised in a Christian home, more specifically in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Sabbath is a key belief of the denomination, hence the “seventh-day” part in its name. I still claim this denomination as my own and as I’ve grown older, I look forward to taking a 24 hour break from the craziness of life. For me, remembering Sabbath doesn’t consist of a list of things I can’t do, rather, it’s intentional time I set aside to just, be.
Lately, I’ve really been struggling with the expectations of where I thought I would be versus the reality of where I am.
Today, during my Sabbath, I was feeling rather down and kept thinking, “well, here I am again, God.” I put on some of my favorite Christian worship music and just sang my heart out in the middle of my living room in my sweats. As I’m singing along to all these songs that have spoken so deeply to my heart and soul, a common theme kept coming up and it struck me:
Sing.
I probably sound like a broken record, but I’m going to say it again. For me, when I behold God, it’s in the midst of worship, which more specifically is through music. Melodies, beats, and lyrics make me stop and pay attention. The moments where I feel the presence of God is usually when music is involved, so it wasn’t much of a surprise this afternoon, as I’m singing songs throughout my house, that this is where He met me and spoke to me.
I need to keep singing. I’ll sing louder and louder than before. I will sing in the middle of the storm. When I sing, God meets me there. When I sing, I can praise Him for who He is.
When I sing, I connect with God. And no matter, what burdens I’m carrying around that day, week, or month, I can lay them there at the feet of Jesus and praise Him for what He’s doing and what He’s done in my life.
So whether I’m on top of a mountain or I’m traveling through a valley, I have to keep singing. It may look crazy to others, but I can’t let that keep me from connecting with my Maker. And I have to continue to remind myself that He has got me wrapped in His arms. That I’m not alone. That I can lean on Him.
Maybe singing isn’t your thing, but I challenge you to find what that thing is, if you haven’t already.
Lauren Brooks 