Keep Holy the Sabbath?

For anyone who remembers the basics about Christianity or Judaism, the Ten Commandments require us to "Keep holy the Sabbath".

 

I wonder how best to implement this commandment, though.

 

There are sects, particularly of conservative Jews, that take this to the extreme, going so far as to not operate motor vehicles, shop, or do anything that would require someone else to work on the Sabbath.  An acquaintance of mine went so far as to consult her rabbi as to the proper protocol to take should she go into labor on the Sabbath (to go to the hospital or not, how to get there, etc.).  This is taking the Sabbath very seriously.

 

Most Christians take a relatively lighter look at this commandment, and feel that by attending church, they are doing fine.  Of course there are others who take an approach between these two, such as doing no work (even chores) on the Sabbath.

 

The Gospels tell us how Jesus was confronted for performing a miracle on the Sabbath.  He responded by saying that even the church elders looked after their livestock on the Sabbath.  He was doing little different in looking after those who had placed their trust in Him.

 

This all comes spilling out of my mind as I look back on my day yesterday.  It was quite busy, and I got a lot accomplished.  I had to start the morning by saying goodbye to my father-in-law as he travelled back to his house in South Carolina.  Then I spent some time around the house in the morning, including a little on-line shopping.  Next up was getting myself and my family ready for church and then spending some time in fellowship, prayer, and praise.  After church, I went out to lunch.  Upon returning home, I made a shopping list and headed to my local home improvement store.  My shopping complete, I returned home in time to take a couple items off my "honey-do" list and assist my mother-in-law with some paperwork at her new residence here in Texas.  Then it was back home to do some more work around the house before spending some time in the evening with a late dinner and some additional prayer.

 

If we are to judge how well we keep the Sabbath holy by what we do, I didn't do real well.  But if we take into consideration the attitude with which we approach what we do, I did better.  I have not been feeling well for the past few weeks, and yesterday I was blessed with the energy and lack of discomfort to actually get some things done.  Throughout my day and my chores, I frequently praised God for the healing I was feeling, as well as for my family, the beautiful day which He gave us, and the multitude of items He has entrusted me with here on earth.  I was even joyful while fertilizing my lawn because I had both a lawn to fertilize and the ability to fertilize it.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am by no means saying I did well yesterday at keeping the Sabbath holy.  Yes, I remembered it was the Sabbath, but I know that I can (and probably should) do better, even if all I do is to put more of my mental faculties into prayer and praise while my hands and feet do other things.

 

So, what do others think?  Is keeping holy the Sabbath more about what you do or how you do it?  Is focusing our mind on God and how what we do relates to Him what really matters, or should we keep from undergoing any activity that does not directly promote God in the world and ourselves?

 

I look forward to your feedback!

 

God Bless,

JAy.