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

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

How to Know if the Book of Mormon Is True

photo from lds.org A previous set of elders put me on the 12-week course for new missionaries. Last night as I was finishing up the week on revelation through the Book of Mormon, I came upon this study activity: Read Moroni 10:3-5 and discuss how these verses show what an investigator must do to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Discuss the meaning and importance of real intent and how to help investigators develop real intent. I considered skipping it since I had read that scripture passage countless times, especially with studying Preach My Gospel , and because the discussion seemed to focus on real intent, which had been covered thoroughly in that week's study. But I decided to humor myself and do it anyway. And what I learned surprised me. There are actually four steps an investigator must complete before asking God with real intent and receiving an answer: Read the Book of Mormon. How can we know if something is true if we haven't even read it? We have to b...
4 comments
Read more

Preach by the Spirit

ldsclipart.com I'm a writer, editor, and linguist. The words I choose and how I organize them are very important to me. That is why I prefer expressing myself through writing over any other method. I also enjoy public speaking because sharing my insights is exciting. I prepare my speeches, talks, and lessons in advance so I know exactly what I'm going to say. Church talks I always write out word for word to ensure I don't forget anything and so it's coherent and cohesive. As a teen, I would practice my talks until I practically had them memorized. Due to the increased focus on making the Sabbath a delight and sacrament meeting more spiritually fulfilling, our branch president told us he wanted us to have only an outline for our talks and to lean on the Spirit for guidance. Only once have I ever used just an outline. It was September 2006 in my college ward for a talk about how to prepare for general conference, a topic easy to expound with just notes. Two week...
3 comments
Read more