Turn Off the Head-Beeper

When my son was younger, he had a hard time getting his writing assignments done in a timely manner. I tried lots of different techniques to help him.

Once we tried a timer. He had a certain number of minutes to complete the assignment, then we would move onto something else no matter what.

Sometimes I forgot to set the timer, so I would say, "I've got the timer in my head."

He was really struggling one day, getting very frustrated that he was running out of time. He turned to me and said, "Mom, can't you just turn off the head-beeper?!"

I love a schedule. I thrive on a daily, weekly, monthly agenda. However, sometimes, I just need to turn the "head-beeper" off. I have running need-to-do, want-to-do, and dream-of-having-time-to-do lists.

God commands us to honor the Sabbath. This is a day of worshipping Him, as well as a day of rest. My biggest challenge on the Sabbath is turning my head-beeper off. How can I rest and focus on God when my mind is busy checking off my to-do lists and planning for the next activity?

When I practice the discipline (and it does take discipline for me) of honoring the Sabbath, I am refreshed, rejuvenated, and renewed.

God knew that we needed a Sabbath to refocus on Him and renew our minds and spirits.

Besides, the lists will still be there the next day . . . and I will be better able to tackle a fresh week of lists.