Tgif (Thank God It’s Friday)

One Friday evening I sat down with my mom for family worship to welcome the Sabbath. In the middle of singing the first song, an overwhelming wave of tiredness hit, and I started to yawn. By the time we started the reading, I could barely keep my eyes open. I was exhausted. After we had prayed it dawned on me that this occurred frequently.

I hustled all week, sleep-deprived but strong, trying to stay on top of things. It was as if my body were holding itself together because it knew the Sabbath finish line was coming. Can you relate? Have you experienced the “thank-God-for-the-Sabbath” moment on Friday evenings when you can drop all cares? Then you can rest and sleep peacefully, knowing you do not have to hustle the next day. While reflecting, I remembered a pastor saying, “If you’re exhausted on the Sabbath, you’re breaking the fourth commandment.” I felt insulted by his comment and wondered what he meant. Let us take a look. What does the commandment say? “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God. . . . For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, . . . and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day” (Exodus 20:8–11, KJV). The pastor emphasized that the Lord rested not because He was tired or exhausted but because His work was complete. God set aside a day to spend quality time with us.

The commandment instructs us that we have six days to “do all thy work.” When we arrive at this sacred time and feel frazzled, we have likely done more than our own labor, whether working for God or man. It is incredibly easy to micromanage life and worry about things we cannot control. What will happen next? Where will this come from? Why did that happen? How can I realize my dreams on my timeline? That. Is. Exhausting! No wonder our bodies are impacted. Once I let go of the worries that belonged to God and set realistic goals for myself and boundaries for the ways I help others, my health improved and I was able to attentively spend time with God during the Sabbath (see Philippians 4:7). My friends, may the Holy Spirit help us live intentionally and align with God’s will; then we shall prosper as He envisions.

Kendi Callender