
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.’” Psalm 92:12-15
Snow days in Charlottesville, Virginia were the most glorious of days. During my college years there, we would often get a huge dumping of spring snow in February or March. We would pray for that email from our dean that would tell us…classes are canceled! And the celebration would begin.
My housemates and I would enjoy popcorn and snow cream by the fire (how did I, a Minnesota girl, not know about snow cream until moving to Virginia?!?). Someone would pull out their guitar. We’d sing and tell stories. Homework became a distant memory as we read and rested and reveled in the beauty of the snow outside. Those days were marked by joy; they were like an escape from the duties of real life. Like a dream.
What if I told you that God wants to give you a day like this EVERY SINGLE WEEK. He really does - God wants to give you the gift of Sabbath.
I’ve struggled with Sabbath since becoming a mom. I’ve wrestled because…motherhood is so hard. Most days feel long, draining, and full of WORK of all kinds. There’s always something to do. If I take a day off, there will be more to do on the other side of that day. How could I possibly take a Sabbath?
But there’s this beautiful Psalm - Psalm 92 - and it is a song for the Sabbath day (the ONLY psalm specific to the Sabbath). And it describes the JOY of this day - full of singing and celebrating and remembrance and worship. And it tells us why the Sabbath is not optional as we follow Jesus: the Sabbath brings forth flourishing.
The psalmist compares the righteous to a palm tree 🌴 (just like in Psalm 1!): they will “flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon.” (the date-palm tree referenced here could grow to be 70 feet tall and live up to 200 years! The region to the north of Israel was known for their beautiful forests of towering cedar trees.) The righteous will also be “planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.” They will be close to Him, in His courts - the Living Water, the Sustainer of life to the full. AND - “[the righteous] will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” As we walk in the way that God outlines in His Word, will have life to the full: flourishing, abundant life. The Sabbath is part of how God breathes life into our souls, helping to sustain us and enabling us to bear lasting fruit.
Without the Sabbath we will shrivel up, the life sucked straight out of us. We will be like dry drooping plants in the desert: thirsty and unsatisfied. But God desires so much more for us!
The funny thing is, we resist the Sabbath with every fiber of our beings. It’s like we are given this snow day, this weekly invitation to partake in Sabbath rest, and we force our way to work instead - shoveling our way out of the snow and ignoring the weather warnings. We refuse to stop, to savor, to receive, and to rest. We refuse God’s way and plow our own path.
In doing so, we deny God’s blessings. We run ourselves ragged. Our bodies and minds experience the wear and tear of work without ceasing, and we eventually burn out. We do not flourish or experience all that God desires for His people.
We are stubborn! We are going to have to fight to surrender our sense of control, hold out our hands, and receive the good gift of the Sabbath.
I do want to be honest with you: It’s going to be hard to Sabbath as a mom. It is not always going to go perfectly, and it will definitely not always feel 100% amazingly restful. But I assure you, it’s still worth it to try.
I hope my kids remember our Sabbaths together with as much joy as I remember snow days in Charlottesville. I hope they remember me being as
relaxed as I ever was on Sundays. I hope they remember me resting and not always working, singing and smiling and not always stressed. I hope that my modeling of Sabbath gives them permission and a desire to also accept God’s invitation to rest, so that they can flourish and thrive all the days of their lives.
Comments