(Sabbath) Appropriate Activities

LDS.org has a part of their websites with tips and encouragement concerning sharing the gospel on one's blog. As their advice was almost certain to apply to me, I thought I'd check it out. One piece of advice that they give that I plan to follow immediately is "share experiences or what you learn at Church or in your family home evening." I don't have any recent experiences or family home evening lessons to share at the moment, but a recent Sunday School lesson is certainly worth repeating.

Yesterday, one gifted sister in our Ward gave a lesson on The Sabbath Day. During the lesson, she had us write down on little cards activities that would be appropriate to do on the Sabbath. Mostly, these were general, "good" things such as giving service to others, spending time connecting with one's family or with those who are lonely. A common thread among almost all of the activities listed was that they invite the Spirit and help as to draw closer to Jesus Christ. And I got to thinking, these are great things to do on the Sabbath, but they're also good things to do any day.

My personal list included things like listening to uplifting music, studying the lessons we'll be learning (or teaching) in church, pondering the meaning of the Atonement and the teachings of Jesus Christ, and praying to have the Spirit with you. In the Gospel Principles manual, we're given the following guidelines with regards to Sabbath-appropriate activities:

Will it uplift and inspire me?
Does it show respect for the Lord?
Does it direct my thoughts to Him?

These are good guidelines to follow and good things to do any day. Doing these things and following these guidelines are ways we can invite the Spirit, which is never a bad idea.

Of course, we can't devote all our time every day solely to Sabbath-appropriate activities. We're not supposed to work on the Sabbath if we can avoid it, but we have to work during the rest of the week. Not all of our activities bring us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, but some of them are necessary anyway. God doesn't expect us to spend all our time, 24/7, worshipping Him. But He does ask for one day of solid devotion per week, with a little time spent in prayer and scripture study daily.

And, really, when He asks us to do these things, it's for our benefit more than His. One might think that God asks for a certain amount of worship each week in return for the blessings He offers us, and even if that is true, we're getting a pretty good deal there, so it's still in our best interest to make the deal. But I think that it's through keeping the commandments, including Sabbath-day observance, that we receive the blessings God has promised.

When people spend time in prayerful meditation, they feel greater peace. When people spend a whole day in prayerful meditation, perhaps that peace they feel can last them through the whole week. I've often felt during the week that I was spiritually malnourished, and I could have used another Sunday. But now I think that I simply haven't been using my Sundays correctly. Perhaps after this lesson I've just learned, I'll be better equipped to take full advantage of the time I'm given to worship God, so that worship can actually do me some good. Considering the time I spend blogging as being somewhat worshipful, I consulted my list to find ways I could make this worship more effective for my soul. After checking my list, I decided to play some very uplifting music (performed by my wonderfully-talented pianist sister, Sariah) while I write this blog post, and as a result, I've felt the Spirit much more deeply this morning than I do most mornings.

I'm grateful for beautiful music, for inspired lessons, and for the time the Lord has set aside for us to connect with the things of the Spirit. And today, I'm especially thankful for the advice I've been given on how I can spend my worship time wisely and make the most of it. It's certainly helped me today.