Everyone is different. We all become spiritually recharged and enlightened in different ways. We all feel the Spirit differently. But, here's one simple way an LDS dad found to not overthink the Sabbath, to keep it holy, and to turn it into a true delight. It's good to remember this is just one member's perspective.
Here are some of my favorite thoughts from his post:
"As far as I know, the church has never…and I believe, will never come out with a definitive list of what is and is not considered 'keeping the sabbath day holy.'
"I don’t know if everything we do on Sunday (our traditions) are right or wrong, but what I do know is that our Sunday’s are set apart for God and family. That day is sacred to us. We all know that. We all feel that. We all look forward to it. It’s a day in which our family comes closer and becomes stronger."
"Isn’t it funny how everyone has their own perceptions of what is and is not allowed. . . . My point is that none of that is doctrine. None of it is even policy. Like the Pharisees of the past, we’re so concerned with honoring our self-conceived lists…that we forget to honor the Sabbath and enjoy it for what it is."
"Pure religion then, is the act of preserving families through the application of the atonement of Christ."
As the Sabbath has been talked about with greater intensity, I’ve noticed quite a few people online say that they’re sick of hearing about it. For me personally…it’s generally the things I’m not doing so well with that I get sick of hearing about. “The guilty taketh the truth to be hard for it cutteth them to the very center.” I’ve been there…especially when it comes to the Sabbath.
The other reason people might get sick of hearing about the Sabbath is because of a lack of understanding. With that lack of understanding comes an associated lack of importance. If a person doesn’t truly understand the “why” of the sabbath, then it just becomes a day of guilt, confusion, and boredom.
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It’s hard for the Sabbath day to become a “delight” when you never know if what you’re doing is right. (Did you like that rhyme?)
When I hear someone give their Sabbath Kumbayah stories about how everyone sits in a circle on Sunday and reads scriptures all day after singing hymns together, sometimes it feels hard to measure up. Honestly, it just doesn’t seem like reality.
Maybe I’m weird, and my thinking was off, but over the years, I’ve felt like all I could do on the Sabbath was eat, drink, sleep, read scriptures, pray, and go to church. This was because I was supposed to be “resting” from my labors and making the day “holy.”