Karen MacDowall Haggerty

Sabbath. What a beautiful word! As Friday afternoon rolls by, I’m so relieved that I’ll be able to spend a whole 24 hours in worship, fellowship, prayer, and studying God’s Word! No obligations to the world. This is my time with my Heavenly Father!

Rich and I generally retire to the living room (no pets allowed, so it’s quiet and drama-free) and have prayer and read Scripture. Sometimes I play hymns on the guitar. We enjoy our conversations together. They turn to spiritual things, sharing with each other what we’ve learned in our daily Bible studies.

In summer (now), I’m usually ready to hit the sack after we bring in the Sabbath because I’m pretty well worn out! We’ve been retired for 13 years, but the weeks are still busy! (Anyone who says they don’t want to retire because of boredom isn’t thinking right. I never have a chance to get bored!) In winter, when the sun sets early, we have supper afterward evening prayer and just enjoy the quiet. Hear that? That’s the sound of two busy people decompressing.

We not only get a physical refreshing because we “cease from our labors,” but we also find a spiritual refreshing. We put away the things of the world and just enjoy our time with God. It’s amazing what that can do for you! When we meet up with our spiritual brothers and sisters at church, it’s a family reunion. We discuss the blessings we’ve had over the week, and we also lift one another up in prayer. EVERYONE needs prayer. Even if you don’t think you do, trust me, YOU DO.

By the time Sabbath ends, I find myself gigantically refreshed! I’m ready for the new week! It really is a blessing for God’s children that nothing in the world can replicate. I often think how Jesus spent His Sabbaths, and His Word tell us that He himself spent time in worship of the Father, in prayer, in fellowship, and doing kind things for the hurting people around Him. He was constantly seeking the lost, not only on Sabbath, but during the entire week. Jesus’ life is really the only sermon we’ll ever need.

The Bible tells us that Jesus went to the synagogue every Sabbath, “as was His custom.” He has a little house of worship down the road from here, and I can’t wait to get there in the morning and spend time with my spiritual family.

Be blessed!