Not my finest Sunday...

So I know that "keeping the Sabbath day holy" is a bizarre or outdated concept to most of the world, but it's something I've realized I really need to put more effort into and take more seriously.

Unfortunately, I woke up this morning and realized that the Sunday I had planned was not at all what it should have been. I hadn't prepared to fast (I shouldn't have even been fasting today, but I forgot to do it last week), I'd be getting paid to work, I would miss most of church, I would spend money on the metro because I procrastinated putting more money on my card, I would be eating out, I'd be going to some beautiful gardens with a friend (not a big deal, except for the entrance fee....), and probably eating out again.

I'm not perfect, I've done all these things on Sunday before, but I think having them all happen on the same day really hit home to me. Most of the time when I break the Sabbath, I look at it as unavoidable -- and sometimes maybe it is. But often if I would just take the time to plan ahead, I could do a lot better. I keep thinking of the Israelites and their manna (Exodus 16). God commanded them to gather and cook twice as much manna the day before the Sabbath so that they could keep the Sabbath day holy. As I was thinking this morning, I wrestled a lot with whether I was rationalizing away my principles and beliefs or if these were just minor, unavoidable technicalities. Looking back on God's commandments then and now, I realize keeping the Sabbath day holy isn't a bunch of technicalities; it's one of the ten commandments, a pretty big deal. And sure, no one's going to sit there and tell me exactly what I can and can't do on Sunday, there will be gray areas and nuances. But in the future I am going to try my hardest to think ahead a little more when planning out my Sundays.

It's not really about spending the money, it's more about keeping God and Christ in mind, taking the time to go to church to worship, and giving others the chance to do the same (if you're spending money, you're causing someone else to work on the Sabbath etc).

I won't tell you how my day turned out -- let's just say some things I was able to adjust and some things I messed up on. And why do I have a (work-in-progress) commitment to observing the Sabbath? Because it reflects my commitment to God, and when I put God first in my life, other things fall into place (it's not always pretty and not always perfect, but I know he's there for me). I've got so much going on right now and so many big decisions to make, I can't afford not to put God first.

(For good reference...)