Do you know the phrase, "Everything that could go wrong . . ."? That
describes my Sabbath experience this week. It seemed to start earlier
in the week with a sense of being under attack by the evil one. My
husband and I felt like it was due to becoming obedient in the area of
Sabbath.

It was Friday and evening was setting. I was anticipating the coming
quiet. I read several comments that day on Facebook of others
joyfully looking forward to Sabbath.

But the quiet never came. Both of my kids decided to have meltdowns
for no reason. My husband had to work late. And I faced many
frustrations while trying to make some new recipes for dinner. By the
time we ate and my husband got home, I had a headache.

Saturday also brought strange unrest and stress. Some things I had
looked forward to did not even cross my mind because I could hardly
focus. I cleaned up the kids bathroom accidents, did laundry because
of the accidents, dealt with constant interruptions from the girls,
and was woken up from a short nap by my husband's phone which he
forgot to turn on silent.

It wasn't a total loss. My husband and I managed to get a little
studying in at various times. But that night was equally stressful
and we looked at each other with defeat. We felt as if, for the most
part, the devil had won this Sabbath.

Thankfully, I know that every Sabbath will not look like this one! It
might have been an attack, but some of it was just poor planning.
Some of it was just life with small children (potty training and
teething, etc.). And then there was poor judgment on my part for
trying to cook new things in a limited amount of time. I vow never to
do that again!

My bright spot in all of this was when I checked the Sabbath Challenge
page on Facebook and Posterous. There I found words of encouragement,
ideas to try, friendly people trying to live out obedient lives to our
Lord. And I no longer felt alone or frustrated. It actually brought
tears to my eyes.

All of you who take the time to read my ramblings and share your
thoughts are a great community of encouragers! Not only to me, but
also to each other! Thank you so much! You have blessed me greatly!

As one of my readers pointed out, we can find rest in the Lord every
day. We don't have to wait for Sabbath! Thank you, Jesus!

Until next week,
Lisa G.

So many people have given great ideas for Sabbath activities, so I am
going to add these to my previous list and repost it to share with
everyone this week.