The Ten Commandments: Rest! Rest! Rest!

The Ten Commandments: Rest! Rest! Rest!

Bible Blast: Read Hebrews 4:6-11

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God.

Exodus 20:8-10

The Gresh family observes what we call Sabbath Sunday. From the time we get home from church until 5:00 p.m., we turn off the TV, stay home, and rest. We can—and often do—play games. Sometimes we pass out in our bedrooms. Other times we just talk. But we always unplug and rest.

At first, my kids didn’t like it a lot. But they’ve come to think Sabbath Sunday is pretty fantastic. In fact, sometimes their friends come over to play games with us.

If you read the story of Creation, you’ll find that God worked on creating the earth and all the living creatures for six days. Genesis 2:2-3 says, “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.” Whenever you see the word holy in the Bible, God is talking about something being “set apart.” He set apart the seventh, or Sabbath, day as a day of rest.

But how do girls your age obey this commandment? It’s all about creating good habits now so that when you’re older, you will be a person who sees the value of rest and worship. You could make sure you do all of your homework on Friday night or Saturday so that you can rest on Sunday. Or you could ask your parents to change your chore schedule so you don’t have to do any major work on Sundays.

Our bodies and minds need time to rest and get refueled. Learning the importance of rest is an incredible lesson, and if you make it important now, you’ll be a healthier, wiser adult someday.

Girl Gab: Mom, could you consider calling for a family Sabbath on an upcoming Sunday? Just see how it goes. You might end up liking it! Daughter, support your mom as you try to convince the rest of the family to give it a try!