Skip to main content

The Best Day of the Week

My favorite day of the week is Sunday. It is the one day I get to forget about worldly cares and just enjoy being with my family, focus on my spirituality, and participate in uplifting activities. I love how different the Sabbath Day feels from the rest of the week. On the Sabbath I dress up and put on makeup and stay that way all day. On the Sabbath I learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the Sabbath I relax and rest. On the Sabbath I play with my husband and baby. On the Sabbath I read the scriptures and the Ensign. On the Sabbath I listen to beautiful music and feel the Spirit.

I feel deep sorrow whenever I hear people say they dislike Sunday. I think their negative attitudes come from their misunderstanding of the purpose of the Sabbath. The Lord did not give us the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy to punish us or to benefit Himself. Jesus said, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). This scripture means, as one of my BYU religion professors explained, that Christ knew that on our own we would not dedicate a time to evaluate and work on our spirituality. He gave us this day as an excuse to set aside all our daily troubles and to focus only on our spiritual state and relationship with Him. He made the Sabbath for us as a gift to help us remember amid all our other duties our goal to return to Him. He did not make it to fulfill some egotistical need to be worshiped, like a false god.

The Bible Dictionary reveals the symbolism behind the Sabbath: "The Sabbath was symbolic of the mighty works of God, i.e., the creation of the earth, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead." [See the entry for scriptural references.] The first work, the Creation, explains why we rest from our labors and reverently enjoy God's work. The second reminds us to thank and praise God and reminds us of the Atonement, symbolized in the deliverance of the Israelites. The last clarifies why the Sabbath is on Sunday and not Saturday like for the Jews.

Once we understand the why of the Sabbath, the what is quite clear. What we do on the Sabbath should reflect its purpose and symbolism, meaning we reflect on our spirituality and prepare for the week ahead battling Satan, and we take the sacrament in remembrance of the Atonement and in renewal of our baptismal covenants to take His name upon us, always remember Him, and keep His commandments.

Therefore, when we talk about certain activities breaking the Sabbath, we do not mean they are bad activities in and of themselves. They simply take away time we should spend on more important things--such as family and personal scripture study--and distract our minds from the Savior.

Challenge: If you do not like Sunday or it feels like any other day, make needed changes in order to make the most of the Sabbath.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I love reading your posts- it makes me glad that my daughter is well rounded and intelligent and charitable-DAD
June 5, 2011 at 1:32 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mormon Messages

 ldsmediatalk.com  On the Church Web site, at the bottom of the home page and on the right sidebar, are featured videos called Mormon Messages. They are short clips from General Conference talks with music, photos, and background videos added to them. My favorite is the one entitled " Prayer ." Mormon Messages is a great way to share short and uplifting stories, testimonies, and counsel with family and friends, whether they are LDS or not. Above the featured video on the Church Web site is a toolbar allowing you to post the video or link on various social networking sites, such as Facebook. Mormon Messages also has a channel on YouTube, with videos in Spanish, to which you can subscribe. Share the light! Sharing Time: Which Mormon Message is your favorite?
3 comments
Read more

Put Down the Gavel

My friend posted on her blog an article about being a single LDS woman . Both ladies made many good points I will not reiterate here. Instead, I would like to discuss the motivation behind these posts: judgment. And judgment applies to all situations, not just to being single. In fact, once one of these women gets married, the judgment won't stop. The next nosy question she will be asked is, "When are you going to have children?" Then, "When are you going to have another child?" Then either, "Why aren't you going to have more?" or "Don't you think you have enough?" Then there will be comments and questions about her parenting choices and so on. Elder Neil L. Andersen shared this example in his October 2011 general conference talk : President J. Scott Dorius of the Peru Lima West Mission told me their story. He said: “Becky and I were married for 25 years without being able to have [or adopt] children. We moved several times...
4 comments
Read more

Family Home Evening for Babies

ldsclipart.com Family home evening can sometimes be a challenge because we don't know what to do. This is especially true for those of us with only a baby. There are plenty of ideas for single members, couples, and families, but I have yet to find good suggestions for planning a family home evening lesson for a baby (not yet in Nursery). So I compiled my own list: Read gospel-related board books. They are short and introduce common scripture stories in a very simple manner. Read the scriptures. Elder Bednar said , "Youth of all ages, even infants, can and do respond to the distinctive spirit of the Book of Mormon. Children may not understand all of the words and stories, but they certainly can feel the 'familiar spirit' described by Isaiah ( Isaiah 29:4 ; see also 2 Nephi 26:16 )." Sing Primary songs together. There is no better way to invite the Spirit, teach basic gospel principles, and prepare your baby for Nursery and Primary. Sing inte...
6 comments
Read more