The Sabbath

I realize that this is a touchy subject, so I'll put a disclaimer to my comments about L. Tom Perry's talk "The Sabbath and the Sacrament": these are my views on the Sabbath and its observance. If you live differently or see it differently, this does not mean that you are wrong or that I think badly about you.

Elder Perry said "Let your family be filled with love as you honor the Sabbath all day long and experience its spiritual blessings throughout the week."

I love this quote. I have always felt that the Sabbath should be honored and set aside specially, not just by us going to church that day, but all day long. I feel that this includes dress, actions, mindsets, and activities.

Why? Well, I can give you a long list of reasons why, but it basically comes down to this: I believe that the Sabbath should be a day set aside for us to come closer to God. That being said, there are numerous ways to do that, and everyone has an opinion as to what's right and wrong in this matter. Even the Savior was reprimanded by people around Him who felt like His actions were not fit for the Sabbath when He was doing exactly as Heavenly Father - the person who created the Sabbath and assigned laws concerning it - would have Him do. Only when we are following the promptings of God and the teachings of His prophets as to what to do on the Sabbath will our actions on the Sabbath be acceptable and right.

For me, I dress nicely in "Sunday dress" (a dress or skirt with a nice top) all day long. This helps me feel that I am worshiping my Savior, and it helps me remember Him throughout the day, and that the Sabbath is His day - a day when I should be doing things to bring me closer to Him. On Sundays when I have had to dress differently for one reason or another, I have lost that reminder and oftentimes found myself drifting towards doing other activities that are not necessarily appropriate for the Sabbath.

Our actions should reflect our commitment to keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Whatever we feel to be right for that day, our actions should go along with our beliefs.

Activities? Anything that brings me closer to God I feel is appropriate. I usually strive to spend time with family, talking about religion, or reading my scriptures or the Ensign, listening to talks, praying, journaling, following promptings. I avoid doing things that would detract or distract me from coming closer to my Father in Heaven.

My personal view of working on the Sabbath is as follows: there are times when it is needed or necessary, but only specific types of work fall into that category. Even the Lord healed on the Sabbath (something our doctors and nurses in hospitals do as well). In my life, I have found that when it was requisite to work on Sunday (like helping people in a resident hall as a resident assistant) that I did my best to focus on the Savior and his work during those times, and consecrated all the money I earned on that day to Him. Whatever I earned on Sunday, I gave to the Lord in the form of fast offerings or something else. Working on the Sabbath should only be done when it is what the Lord would have us do.

I am so grateful that the Lord gave us the Sabbath Day to rest from our labors and to recuperate - not only physically but spiritually as well. It is a day where we receive the spiritual nourishment and power that helps us get through the week in all that we have to deal with and face. Of course we are able to do things throughout the week to keep up our spiritual strength, but there is no day like Sunday.