Family Day

Family Day is one of the most important things in my family's life and it makes sense that I start there.  I had really struggled for years regarding what I supposed to do with this concept of "Sabbath".  Do we just lie around and do nothing?  Do we ignore things that must be done?  I was so lost and I wanted to have this time of rest but I kept getting caught up in legalism with it.  Isaiah 58:13 says that we are to, "call the sabbath a delight", but I wasn't doing that.  I was calling it "boring".  The way I grew up, we got up on Sunday, went to church, came home, ate a big meal and took a nap.  We really didn't do anything the rest of the day but the nap was mandatory.

Skip ahead to my family with two young children.  We would do fun things if they came up but nothing was ever planned or "intentional".  We just hung out on Saturdays, went to church on Sunday, and cleaned the house or mowed the lawn somewhere in between.  It was Boring...The Next Generation.

I think the change all started when we started going to a church that had Saturday night services.  We decided to change a lot of things and start a whole new schedule.  Saturday then became: Family Day.

Our Family Day schedule is as follows:
My fabulous husband cooks breakfast
Go someplace fun with our kids...it could be a museum, zoo, farmer's market, etc
Eat lunch at home
Nap (that part didn't need changing)
Eat a fun dinner out (usually at the always awesome Chick-Fil-A)
Go to church
Put the kids to bed
Husband and I watch a movie rental and have a fun snack

On Sundays we spend the whole day cleaning, mowing the lawn, etc but Saturdays are just for enjoying our families and the things God has given us.  I don't do laundry, we try not to do dishes or any other chores...just enjoy life.  For me, I feel like it is calling the Sabbath a blessing.  God sat back on the 7th day and enjoyed His creation.  On Family Day, we sit back, enjoy our home, kids, church and city. 

My children love it and look forward to where Family Day will take us this week. It is our routine and the highlight of our week.  It is the pinnacle of everything the previous week has been and energizes us for what lies ahead.