Sabbath rest

On this Sabbath day I am feeling vaguely guilty for having just now taken a shower.  Now I am dressed for the day… and it is almost 4.  It is gorgeous spring outside and I can list the many things I could have been doing…. cleaning up the garden bed, housecleaning, laundry, et al.   I have done none of that today.  I said vaguely guilty because somehow I knew there were other things I needed to do… like resting, or eating a more leisurely breakfast, or talking with my husband during daylight hours (our paths most often cross at night, when both of us are tired already).  There are still projects to be done.  There always will be projects to be done.   Today, gorgeous day that it was and is, called for rest and conversation.

Consider this:

How do you give yourself permission to rest?  When does rest take priority?  God decreed the seventh day for rest, the seventh day as Sabbath.  Rest does not necessarily mean doing nothing.  Sometimes it means doing restorative things, like sleeping in, or taking time over breakfast, or dreaming with one*s spouse.  Sometimes it is simply sitting still and listening to the birds, noticing the forsythia in the backyard.