Throughout time, the Lord has always asked His followers to set aside a day for Him. In the very beginning of time, the Lord Himself rested after laboring for six days. As He gave His laws to the children of Israel in the desert, the Lord described in detail the importance of keeping His day sacred. In our day, as He did in His own, the Lord has declared the importance of observing the Sabbath:
9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;
10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;
12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.
13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.
These teachings are important to our family. With five growing kids, housework, a job, and the demands of life, our time is very precious. Often on a Friday afternoon, as Emily looks toward a Saturday on which we cannot possibly get everything done, she will lament that the weekend is over. Without question, there are many weeks when continuing the grind from Saturday on Sunday would help us get things done. However, Emily and I have made a commitment that we will observe the Sabbath day, and we have faith that our choice will be of far greater benefit to our family than getting a few more things done over a weekend.
In a recent General Conference address, President Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, taught that the Sabbath day affords us an opportunity to decide what sign we will give to the Lord. In our family, we have decided that there are certain things that help us feel closer to the Savior on the Sabbath day. For example, attending church, listening to uplifting music, and refraining from watching television are important to us. Devoting our time to strengthening our ties as a family, by playing board games together, preparing and eating meals together, and setting aside other concerns, such as work and school work. These things help us show the sign that we desire to the Lord: that we want to draw closer to Him.
During church this week, I was reminded that as we consider our Sabbath day observance, we must always keep in mind that, as the Lord said, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.
Responding to calls to serve those in need should also be part of our Sabbath day observance. Though we wouldn't normally repair our own sprinklers on the Sabbath day, sometimes we may be called upon to help others fix theirs. In those circumstances, serving our neighbors is part of that sign we show to the Lord.
