Nine Habits I Like to Practice on The Sabbath

Recently, I've become fascinated with a lost art: honoring The Sabbath. I used to believe going to church for an hour was the best way to practice this. However, that only accounts for 1/24 of my day. Is that honestly much of a sacrifice?

I've toyed with writing this post for a while-- A YEAR TO BE EXACT. When I was drafting this, I decided to read an old post that was similar, "My Sunday Routine." When I landed on the page, the date read "August 27th, 2017." GUYS THAT IS WEIRD. Lemme tell ya why.

​Last year, when I wrote that post, I wasn't ecstatic about it. I loved the idea, but I couldn't place the right grit. Bloggers must meet deadlines, so I posted it regardless. Although, the idea of writing about the Sabbath continued to brew. 365 days later I've found my groove and put together Nine Habits I Like to Practice on The Sabbath...

1. Create Sunday rules.

My rules include:

• No social media // I log out of all my apps Saturday night, so I don't forget in the morning. I try to stay away from my email too. 
• No work // This one can be tricky. I've learned that when I start a new job, I say right away I'm unable to work Sundays. It's never been a problem. (Other than detasseling lol) 
• No homework // When I make a homework schedule each week, I pretend as if I don't have Saturdays or Sundays free. That way, I have extra time to write a blog post on Saturday and no requirements for Sunday. 

*I know things happen. This past week my homework plan fell through. I HAD to do an hour of homework on Sunday, because it was due that night. Along with that, there's plenty of Sundays where I FORGET about social media for half of the day. When that happens, I just take off Monday too to even it out. At first, I was pretty disappointed. Seriously Logan? How did you let that happen? Then again, I was totally missing the point.

My job is to worship, show honor, and rest in Him on these days. Not count the hours I didn't spend with Him and kick myself for screwing up a schedule I CREATED. Practicing a new routine comes with trial + error. Plus, we have a God who'd rather look at our heart and effort. 

OH YEAH and when I went to finish that leftover homework, THERE WAS NONE. My professor accidentally duplicated our last assignment. Lol, things work out.

It's 2021 now and I still love these rules! Lately, I've been checking my email on Sundays, but this would be fun to get rid of again! For work, I've been doing part time marketing for Steadfast Security. Hit them up if you're looking for a security system for your home or business :) That being said, I condense my hours to be done Mon-Fri to avoid working on the weekends. This has made it so nice to keeping my Sunday clear!

Biiiig update. I graduated!! No more homework for me. I've waited so long for this day! I graduated this past December with my Bachelor's and a concentration in Nonprofit Management. 

2. Set up a worship routine.

I normally watch Elevation Church online, spend 15 minutes in silence, and then say a prayer. I've been watching Elevation for a few years now and I LOVE snuggling up with a hot coffee + good message. Steven Furtick, the pastor, has also written a couple bible plans I ADORE. Check out my favorites on the bible app: Sun Stand Still and Crash the Chatterbox. You can read them on a desktop computer as well!

If you're looking to shake up your prayer life, try starting a war room. :) I take you through three easy steps here!

Man its three years later and Elevation continues to be such a safe place for me. Steven is so great at balancing speaking biblical truth and reminding of us of God's grace. I love his energy and I love walking away feeling challenged, but so so loved. Going to church doesn't have to be a scary thing. Hop on elevationchurch.org and watch a sermon for fifteen minutes. They are life changing.

Exodus 20:8
​"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
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3. Acknowledge it'll take practice.

I seriously thought I had only been practicing this for a few months. NOPE, it had been a year. Lol, but I can't explain how nice it feels to write this out and feel CONFIDENT about it. 

I started out by adding something new every Sunday or month. For instance, those rules, THEY TOOK A LONG TIME to get used to. 
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*No social media- I was pretty sad without it the first couple Sundays. I imagined hundreds of people would stop following my blog if I wasn't providing updates. HA! Who else is a part of the CRAZZZY overthinking band? Nowadays, I look forward to the one day without it. :)

*No work- If I'm home all day, I get SO antsy at night. Also, I have a hard time saying no to people lol. Someone would be like "Hey can you work my Sunday night shift?" and I'd be like YAAAAAAA! Since then, I've gotten better, but I didn't always have that will power.

*No homework- For a couple months, I let myself do a few hours of homework on Sunday. If you can spend all hours of daylight doing face masks and listening to worship music: GO AHEAD, but that's not me lol. It felt VERY unnatural to not do these "productive things." However, I slowly removed all three from my Sunday routine and I've never felt more refreshed. 

​Do you remember that verse? About loving things of this world?
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1 John 2:15 
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of eyes and pride of life-- is not from the Father but is from the world."
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4. Plan to meet up with someone.

This is one of the hardest lessons I've learned about Sundays. When I wake up, there's a lot of days where I'm like eh, I don't wanna leave the house. Although, when I'm home for hours and then don't do anything at night--I get super sad. If this doesn't happen to you, BY ALL MEANS, STAY HOME ALL DAY. Also, that is dope because I totally wanna be like that. 

However, I believe God wants us to use this time to rest in our family and friendships as well. To enjoy one another and not think, "okie I can only hang 30 more minutes because I have to work on that paper." It allows me to actively listen and concentrate on relationships that matter. 

Since becoming a momma, things have changed with this a little bit. I can stay home for a few days in a row without needing to get out. Probably since there's not a lot of time to feel trapped when you have a two year old, lol. However, we've still be taking drives to Sonic if we didn't get out of the house yet. Loud music, sunsets, and ice cream. What things will make you look forward to Sunday?

Jeremiah 17:22 
​"And do not carry a burden out of your house on the Sabbath or do any work..."
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5. Finish those weekly to-do's you didn't get to.

This past Sunday, I cleaned my room, put together a meal plan, and folded laundry. If I don't have many leftover tasks, I scribble down some goals for the upcoming week. For blogging, I like to start emailing tourism boards/hotels early on, so I may say, "Email two hotels this week." For seeing friends, I may write down, "Try that new diner for breakfast." 

I'd like to add if you don't feel like looking at your planner, shove it in a cupboard. Your mental space is much more important than a pretty checklist. Maybe look for any appointments on Monday and then put it aside for the day.

​I've done this a few weekends now and I'm always so thankful I do it. You can open it back up on Monday and fill things in, nothing is too urgent. When you use a planner routinely, it can become a little heavy to open sometimes. Do a task, then do the next, hang with your kids, breathe, and take a nap!

Want to make a goal for starting a new bible plan? Here's Five Bible Plans That'll Kick Your Butt.

6. Look at my weekly expenses.

Can I cut back somewhere? Are there any unnecessary items on my grocery list? Was I intentional with giving this week? I also like to pen in a few boxes in the margins of my planner, to track my "no spend" days. In addition to that, I like to keep tally of how much I do actually "spend" during the week on fun things. Knowing a number, makes it easier to spend less the next week. 
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One new thing I've been doing is budgeting our groceries. I love Jamerrill Stewart of Large Family Table! She goes grocery shopping once a month with an additional small trip if needed! I have been living by this system and probably will NEVER go back. This saves us gas on going to the store (we live outside of town) and I use Walmart pickup, since it's easier that way with Trax.

So far, I've knocked our monthly budget down to $425. Our family consists of me, our almost two year old, and my husband! I know some families have gotten theirs down to $100 per person, which is amazing. The $425 though also consists of any household items as well. Our range is probably around $125 each at this point, with $50 worth of household items. I'm proud of it and excited to cut it down if we need too in the near future!

7. How can I take better care of myself this week?

I've started a little routine for after I shower: 30 second plank + sit ups for one minute. Sunday, I added three sets of squats to my routine. It's not much, but it makes the world of a difference. Plus, it helps me be extra tired so I can fall asleep easier at night! (Raise yo hand if you feel like you're alwayyyyys working on your sleep schedule ugh)

How I stretch my body has changed a little since I wrote this post. As of now, every other day I do yoga or take a walk. When I do yoga, I set my timer for 17 minutes and spend about 10 minutes doing my favorite poses. At the seven minute mark, I do a squat/ arm exercise/ pushup/ and situp combo.

Don't let this intimidate you though. Whenever I take time off from exercising, I only start with the yoga and maybe a few pushups. The fifteen minutes is where it helps a lot! Rarely can I say, "I don't have time,' because it's a short time frame. This has made me stay on top of moving my body and not putting too much pressure on myself!
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8. Pick one way I can serve this week.

I like to pen these into my planner. If I don't get to it, I normally have time on Sunday to plug that in. A few examples are:

• Give to your town's food bank
• A go fund me you've thought about giving to
• Clean something at your house/apartment (if ya have roomies)
• Bake for someone close to ya

These days, serving looks different, but that doesn't mean it should be forgotten! With a little one running around, I try to think of something I can do for our family while he's napping like mowing or running the dishwasher. At the same time, I'm setup to give monthly to someone interning at a local church for their monthly expenses.

​This is another great scenario for me because I do not have to leave my house to make these payments! That being said, I do think it'd be fun to incorporate an example from above into my life again. Maybe every other month? That could be a fun goal.
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9. Do something for yourself, without multitasking. 

I'm hesitant to use the words "self-care" because a lot of people just killed it for me. I'm definitely one for investing in yourself, but lose the drama, it's not about you all the time. 

In our generation, multitasking is the key to hustling through school and getting that degree or promotion. I think it's important to do one thing and one thing only every once in awhile. Have you ever tried a face mask without scrolling through Pinterest? Or watching a movie without also filling out a job application? I've failed to do this plenty of times, but I believe it's high time I get to it. How do you do something 100% if your attention is split three ways? 

AH I'M SO STOKED THIS BABY IS LIVE! Been sitting on it for a YEAR. I'd love to hear about what you plan for your Sabbaths. Let me know below because I'M CURIOUS. :)

For more inspiration, check out my Pinterest!

Related posts:

• Our View of God: Thoughts by E
• How to Create a War Room in Three Easy Steps
• Seven Ways to Take Your Faith Further

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