In a recent message, we learned about the Biblical command to rest based on Jesus' teaching in Matthew 12. You can watch the full message here. Pastor Mike shared that in order to say yes to Sabbath rest we may need to say no to some things that overburden our schedules. This timely message is difficult to put into practice because it requires that we udder that simple word that so many of us, myself included, have struggled to muster. No.
Why do we struggle to say no to demands on our time? There is a variety of reasons, but I believe the most common is a fear of missing out (FOMO). This fear is especially challenging for families. FOMO for our kids can quickly drive any parents to say yes to every after-school activity that presented itself.
So, what do you do when your feel like you need to take things out of your family's schedule but you do not want your kids to miss out?
My short answer to this is to flip the question around. What would your kids miss out on if you don't take things out of their schedule? That changes things, doesn't it? Here are some of my thoughts on the answer to that question.
They could miss out on the Sabbath rest they need. It is easy to forget that teenagers need rest just as much as adults do. It is easy to forget because they have the energy to burn. But no matter our age or life stage we are called to obey God's command to rest. We have to remember Jesus' words in Mark 2:27 "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
They could miss out on learning a spiritual discipline. The ability to rest is learned. likewise, taking part in Sabbath rest is a spiritual discipline that must be learned. Learning this discipline as a family by sitting down and talking about prioritizing rest in the schedule is a great way to teach this valuable spiritual discipline.
They could miss out on learning how to say no. So many of us struggle to say no to morally natural and even good things that take up our time. Why? For many, it is a desire to people please. For others, it is FOMO, regardless of why we must develop the ability to say not good things so that we can set to great things. Sabbath rest is a great thing.
-Russsell McCarson
Parkway Victoria Student Pastor
Why do we struggle to say no to demands on our time? There is a variety of reasons, but I believe the most common is a fear of missing out (FOMO). This fear is especially challenging for families. FOMO for our kids can quickly drive any parents to say yes to every after-school activity that presented itself.
So, what do you do when your feel like you need to take things out of your family's schedule but you do not want your kids to miss out?
My short answer to this is to flip the question around. What would your kids miss out on if you don't take things out of their schedule? That changes things, doesn't it? Here are some of my thoughts on the answer to that question.
They could miss out on the Sabbath rest they need. It is easy to forget that teenagers need rest just as much as adults do. It is easy to forget because they have the energy to burn. But no matter our age or life stage we are called to obey God's command to rest. We have to remember Jesus' words in Mark 2:27 "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
They could miss out on learning a spiritual discipline. The ability to rest is learned. likewise, taking part in Sabbath rest is a spiritual discipline that must be learned. Learning this discipline as a family by sitting down and talking about prioritizing rest in the schedule is a great way to teach this valuable spiritual discipline.
They could miss out on learning how to say no. So many of us struggle to say no to morally natural and even good things that take up our time. Why? For many, it is a desire to people please. For others, it is FOMO, regardless of why we must develop the ability to say not good things so that we can set to great things. Sabbath rest is a great thing.
-Russsell McCarson
Parkway Victoria Student Pastor