5 Ideas for Planning a Family Rest Day

The plan

I love Sundays. I allow myself to sleep in just a bit. We attend church in the middle service (so not too early, and not too late, kind of like Goldilocks!). Once we are done around 1030, the entire day stretches out ahead of us. I generally start with a great plan for rest. “I’ll play ball with the kids, then we can watch a movie and I’ll make myself a latte,” I think. Maybe I can do my nails (a treat I rarely make time for, as it requires me to sit still for quite a while).

The reality

We get home from church, visions of lattes still dance through my head. I change into comfy clothes…and the dream starts to unravel. The boys have also changed clothes and moved on to their own activities. My husband is sleeping so he can work later. I realize that I need to make dinner AND do meal prep for my sons’ lunches for the next week. I look around and think that I should clean off the kitchen table and run the mop. The dogs need to be bathed, and who gets to THAT during the workweek? The list begins to grow as ball throwing, movies, nails, and lattes become a forgotten dream. My great plan to rest has been overthrown by THE LIST.

Do you have one, too? You know, the list of items that aren’t urgent enough to make it to the daily rotation, nor “fun” enough to be a treat when you have time. It’s the list that never ends. Mine always seems to find me on Sundays when I’m planning to practice Sabbath Rest.

The dream

I really want my kids to know what this means. I want them to learn to build Sabbath Rest into their lives. And as their mom, I need to realize that “rest” for me will likely look different than “rest” for them. While mine includes books, lattes, and nails, theirs includes no chores and video games. But that’s okay because there is also some overlap – ball throwing and movie watching? They both love that, too.

I realize I need to be more intentional about shaping a family rest day. For us, it will occur on Sunday, but I truly believe God wants us to have a day – any day – where we stop the feverish race to accomplish and instead take time to just BE. Time to enjoy a slower pace, to appreciate the blessings he’s given us, and to rest our bodies and minds. My son and I like talking about what it looks like for God to rest.

The solution

Focus on the Family has a great article with five excellent suggestions for beginning to shape a Sabbath Rest with your family. Please give it a read and pick one idea to implement this week.

So what’s your first step in shaping a family rest day?

Mine will be clearly communicating my plans so that my family can be on board from the beginning. My next step? Ignoring THE LIST and put those items on a weekly list instead.

I’ll be praying for you as you shape a family rest day!

Blessings,

🌸 Andrea

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