My husband recently started observing a Sabbath. I never asked him to join me. In fact, I kept my own observances so private that he asked if I was “still doing that Sabbath thing?” Of course, I rarely did it on Sundays, and he is a traditional guy. When else would you Sabbath but on Sunday?
There are many differences in how we approach this day. For him, Sabbath simply means not working. Other than that, he’s pretty flexible. He watches sports (how else can he rest?). He grills our lunch outdoors, just as his father does every Sunday. He updates his Facebook — often for the first time all week. He naps. He does something fun with the kids (if they’ll have him).
“Don’t you know you can’t run to HEB after church for hamburger fixin’s? Don’t you know you can’t watch TV?” Blah, blah, blah.
Instead, I shut up. I shut up because I want to see what God does with a humble man who wants to serve a holy God.
As I’ve watched him, I’ve noticed that he does some things better than I. Even my resting can look like religious work. His looks fun. He takes time to play with the kids. He prepares a feast. He can teach Sunday School, then fall asleep to a basketball game, and make both look sacred.
