Startled out of my sleep, I reached my hand over to check the clock.

4:14 AM.

It took me a moment to process.

What day is it?

I threw my head back on the pillow, sighed, thought for a moment longer, and grabbed my phone. My eyes tried to focus on the date, but everything was still blurry. I laid my head back down on the pillow and whispered to myself,

It’s the Sabbath.

I grabbed my phone again, this time my eyes completely focused on the screen.

Saturday, March 7.

Immediately, I began to praise the Lord. I pulled the covers up, laid my head back down on my pillow, and said quietly:

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”
— Mark 2:27 (KJV)

And in that moment, my heart was grateful.

Because this pay period was a lot.

Last week alone we had a day that stretched into 12–14 hours because of an evening meeting. Then this Thursday and Friday demanded everything I had.

Thursday drained my energy simply from being around so many people and constantly pouring into others.

By Friday, I felt like I was working like a Hebrew slave.

I reported to work at 6:30 AM, started working at 6:45, and didn’t stop until 5:30 PM. My day was filled with documents to scan, emails to draft and proofread, trips to coordinate, itineraries to create and submit, and supervisory responsibilities that required my attention.

By the time I got home, I was completely drained.

But the day doesn’t stop there.

Because once I walk through my door, I’m still Mom. There’s the granddog to care for, things around the house that need to be handled, and the everyday responsibilities of life waiting for me.

A little background about me: I usually don’t need an alarm to wake up — though with daylight savings time coming, that might change. But when I woke up at 4:14 AM and realized it was the Sabbath, I instantly began to rejoice.

Because my body was TIYAD — tired.

And in that moment I realized something.

I truly don’t understand how people go day after day after day without taking a day to rest.

Not just a day off.

But a true day of rest.

The kind of rest that YAH speaks about in the Bible.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
— Genesis 2:1–3 (KJV)

And again we are reminded:

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
— Exodus 20:11 (KJV)

When was the last time you truly rested — not just stopped working, but actually allowed your body, mind, and spirit to rest?

Be Blessed,

~ Elle