It's all about moving & worship.
Ya’ll. February and March were full.
On top of the regular makeup of my days, my husband traveled for work for 23 of them (“but, who’s counting?”, they say); I’ve been sick all week; I prepared for, gave a teaching on, and facilitated a guided journaling session on intentional motherhood; and began working on a new This Mama Co. project with my girls after months and months of promising that we would.
Just before my last First Friday call, when I meet with the gift of a woman who has discipled me for the last 13 years, I had a minute’s break to sit in my overwhelm (read drowning). In response to this month’s oversharing about said feelings, she simply and frankly asked me about my family’s current practice of Sabbath.
Sporadic. Barely happening. Basically, absent.
To that, she verbally hit me with a 🚩
I’ve read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry twice already (it is a must read and do). I’d just finished reading the chapters on Contemplative Rhythms for an Exhausted Life in The Deeply Formed Life. I knew that the fourth, along with the other nine, of the Ten Commandments are still to be obeyed from the posture of my heart, today. Yet, in all of our busyness and hurry, we hadn’t as a family really committed to being consistent with the necessity. And, the effect was showing.
What I needed was a different kind of rest. One that would give me more than my moments of self-care, more than my good book, and more than the one hour of quiet time scheduled for me and my girls each weekday.
So, my husband and I decided to just do it—the very next day.
I believe, for many of us, when we choose to Sabbath, or “Shabbat” in Hebrew, we’re inclined to define it with our own rules. No phone, no work, no errands, no spending. My husband and I contemplated “Is cooking work? What about the dishes and our laundry? How do we make ourselves available to extended family? What about all of these sports our kids participate in and invites we all receive?”
But, it seems that we—like those Pharisees—are the only ones concerned with the doing and not doing. In Matthew 12, Jesus said, “Do good on the Sabbath.” Instead of making it more complicated, it seems he is instead telling us that Sabbath is not beyond our capacity, but a day set apart for doing good things that point us to the One that is and gives good.
Sabbath is all about moving to him to worship.
Sabbath is a gift (Mark 2:27). It’s a “get to”, but because we’re human, Sabbath isn’t easy. I’ve found that we must have a vision of what it looks like for our family (and allow ourselves grace as it changes), we must plan for it, and we must set our guidelines and boundaries (instead of rigid rules).
Even as a newly minted commitment, Sabbathing is easily now my favorite. When it ends, I am immediately looking forward to the next in the coming week.
While it’s still a work in process, our practice is to first quit. In making sure that the day looks different from our other six, from 6:30pm to 6:30pm, I turn on my devices’ Do Not Disturb focus, shut down my laptop, and put away the things I’ve been doing. Then, rest. At times that includes naps (yes, plural). Other times it means the other things that are life-giving—all with my family at this stage and at these ages—usually being playing games, cooking, taking a walk in the neighborhood or through a farmer’s market, praying, and reading.
I just want to do what moves us to see him in his rightful place—worth trusting, worth delighting in, worth honoring. Thing after thing that moves us to him to worship.
And, glory, the effect is showing. “His kingdom comes when his will is done.”
I saw this on IG recently, and it reminded me of one of the best pieces of parenting wisdom I have ever received—"Because of who he is, you do not have to parent from a place of fear."
Reading aloud is a love language, and I do not plan to stop until my children ask me to. We just finished The Wild Robot Escapes, and these two books have been on repeat as we approach Easter.
I'm still in disbelief that I actually started and finished reading 5 of my very own, grown up books in the month of February. Thanks to my friend Dionne, whose book recommendations will always go to the top of my TBR list, I just finished Small Great Things.
I quickly printed this free LEGO Easter Egg instruction guide to add into this year's Easter baskets. If your child is a LEGO lover, this free LEGO magazine subscription for 5 to 9 year olds is a must, too.
Once again, Zara has come through with Easter fits per the non-silent requests I received for “no dresses”!
For so many reasons (including the colorways, insulation, and covered straw to keep hands and germs away), I am completely taken by these water bottles. Gave them to my girls and am in the process of throwing all the others away.
Create Anyway, by my friend, Ashlee Gadd, is worth the hype, ladies. I've been slowly working my way through its chapters since receiving it a few weeks ago in its pretty packaging. It is so good and so needed.
This dusting mitt will forever be a staple in my home. It makes the family contribution (aka chore) of dusting easy and fun for my kids.
The Sabbath Box, created by GoodKind to help families put distractions away and enjoy time with God and each other, is 50% off.
One of our favorite things is museum hopping every few weeks. This was a visit to our número uno, Planet Word.
Annual daddy-daughter dance with their daddy, and mine (Papa G)!
Because they got to party, I wanted a mommy-daughter lunch date.
Just me and my forever at our friend-turned-family's wedding 🫶🏽
