With all the daily demands of life, I would venture to guess that you are not putting rest on your to-do list.

On this blog I talk about living life with joy and flow. It was on a Sunday that prompted me to start writing about this subject that is now a lifestyle. That’s because I discovered what joy felt like.

If you were to ask me five years ago if I felt joy, I would have replied – rarely. I thought joy was this exuberant feeling of bliss.

But on a walk with Robert, I remember telling him, “I want to bottle this day and keep it.”

I figured out that what I wanted to bottle. It was joy.

Finding Rest through the Sabbath

I had made a decision to observe the sabbath, after all, it is a commandment.  Exodus 20:8 says – Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.

And Genesis 2:3 says: So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

The only things on the to-do list were to attend church, take a walk, and cook a nice dinner.

There were no bills to pay, no shopping to do. I decided to unplug from my computer and take a break from the internet world.

As a result, there was a lightness in my spirit. That’s when I realized what I was feeling was joy.

God is not only gives us permission to rest but commands us to rest.

What Happens by Not Putting Rest on Your To-Do List

I’ve managed to obey this commandment until lately. My responsibilities and to-do list has gotten longer.

Last Sunday I did the major shopping and errand run that wasn’t possible during the week. I found myself parked in front of my computer to post my weekly email that I didn’t have time to finish during the week.

By the time I completed it all, it was time to make dinner then do the dishes. There was no time to rest.

When I sat down, it was 8:30pm. I would be getting ready for bed by 9:30.

Monday morning, I woke up emotionally and physically exhausted.

God knew what He was doing with the commandments. They are not a bunch of “thou shalt nots,” to burden us but to free us and help our well-being.

The stumbling block to this resting is that you can shop online 24/7 and in most stores 7 days a week. Sunday in our culture has become just another day of the week.

Sadly, it can be the day to get everything done that you failed to do during the week. Uh… busted.

How the Sabbath Turns Into Joy and Delight

But God hallowed the sabbath. It means to set apart, consecrate, make holy, dedicate, or sanctify.

Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interest on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord.”

I’ve found that delight translates to joy. You can bottle that joy inside of you to start your Monday refreshed and not depleted.

Note to self, and to you. Put rest on your to-do list by remembering the sabbath.

If you enjoyed this post, you will enjoy the Four Steps to Flow along with an email sent out each Monday to encourage and inspire you to live life with joy and flow.