Have you ever wondered what the Sabbath means, what it was made for? For most of us, there is a simple and perhaps fundamental answer, which begins with Genesis: “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.” Perhaps our next stop would be Exodus: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Now imagine you are a soon-to-be four year old, high octane little boy. I have one of these we named Caden. His answer to this question will likely be a little different. To him, the Sabbath means Daddy is home, which means someone to do things with! He knows the Sabbath begins with our family getting together in the living room, with most of the lights out and a few candles lit. This is a special day for him, because he loves attention and more than anyone else in the house, to wander around outside looking for what might interest him. Daddy, of course, will likely be with him, and if the weather is nice, some of the rest of the family. Our neighbor owns a concrete business and has a couple of Bobcats, a backhoe and a few other pieces of machinery that look cool and beg visiting. Caden might not think much about God being with him, but the important thing is that God spends the day with him, and the rest of the family.

God created the Sabbath for everyone, and how we spend it may differ from one another, but we know that God made the Sabbath for us. It is a day that He wishes to spend with us.

Let’s look at how the rest of the family looks at the Sabbath and what it means to them. I conducted a survey. Christopher (7) replied that the Sabbath is, “A day of rest, it is the day God rested after creation. A day when we rest from our work.” Cody (8) responded simply, that it is, “The day you rest.” Emily (5) told me that, “It is the day God rested from all His work. We can lie down and we can sit on Daddy’s lap. We clean up before and then we can have fun. I love it when we rest and we can pray and talk to God.” Mommy, after a busy week responded with, “It is a day for reflection and remembrance.” I am sure rest was equally in her thoughts.

The Sabbath is a day when we rest bodies and spirits in the presence of our Creator. Let us remember that Sabbath is for all of us, and though we may spend it in varied ways, He is with us and makes the day perfect. May you find rest this Sabbath and the joy of spending time with Him.