Sabbath for Sinclairs, Too

We need -- need -- regular times with no work, no demands, nothing to do. Regular times. How do I know? God said so.

This is not a forte in my world. We tend to be workaholics over at the Sinclair household. Sometimes I look around my neighborhood, listen to friends' stories, observe acquaintances' use of their days off; I stand back and marvel.

"They are here shopping at Wal-Mart, strolling the aisles and not rushing through. Together, hanging out, doing nothing in particular. Huh. And look at this -- they just dropped in at their friend's house randomly. That means they were just out driving around a bit with no destination or deadline. Huh. And check this out: they were hangin' out with each other, decided to go to a movie and have ice cream. Huh."

We have often recognized that quality time with children cannot always be planned. Spontaneity is often a part of special moments and happenings in a child's life. In order to cash in on such significant times one must invest quantity of time. It cannot and will not be confined to that lunch outing you plan once a week. Their moment of need or transparency or hurt feelings may not happen right then. You very likely will miss it.

Stuff like that is not limited to children only. We all experience things at random times. It behooves us to invest quantity time in precious relationships if we hope to share quality moments.

Also, our souls need routine breaks from the constant planning, pushing, and producing that we maintain throughout the week. It is simple. We are not running on Eveready batteries. Without recharging, the bunny will run out at some point. It will just plain run out.

So prepare, Sinclair household. This fall we will study anew God's commandment to honor the Sabbath. It is time once again.