In the spirit of resting on the Sabbath Day, today will be a short post.
This will be the first post in a new series of posts that I’ll occasionally post about, in which I will answer a question that we commonly get asked on chat. Today’s question, continuing with the theme of my post day, is the Sabbath.
Q: Hey, Elder Hafen. I’m a member of the Church, and I know that we’re always supposed to keep the Sabbath Day holy, but I’m not quite sure if I’m allowed to do _________ on the Sabbath Day. Would that be allowed?
Sincerely, Concerned About Sinning
A: That’s a great question, Concerned! One thing that I like to remember is that the majority of commandments aren’t like the Ten Commandments with which we’re all so familiar. They’re not just a long list of “Thou Shalt Nots.” Instead, they are instructions on things that we SHOULD do in order to have better and happier lives. With this in mind, it’s not about avoiding a certain list of items. Instead, we should think about what we are doing, and whether or not it turns our thoughts to Christ and invites the Spirit.
I’ve found that generally the best practice when it comes to Sabbath Day activities, and many other activities as well, it’s good to personally draw the line for ourselves, and never overstep that line. When deciding where we draw our line with respect to Sabbath Day activities, here are a few of my own personal guidelines I like to keep in mind.
- Does it help me and my family to grow closer together?
- Does it help me to focus on Christ and the things that He has taught and done for me?
- Does it help to invite the Spirit?
Is it something that helps me to feel peace, calm, and to rest for the activities of the coming week?
In addition to our own personally planned Sabbath activities, of course, there a few things that we should be doing on the Sabbath. The most obvious of which, of course, is attending Church and partaking of the Sacrament. A few other activities that we should do include praying and studying the scriptures, as we should be doing every day. One other thing that I personally really enjoy on Sundays are family meals, if at all possible.
The most important thing to remember about the Sabbath, however, is that it is the Sabbath. When we keep that in mind in all that we do, and allow ourselves to feel that special Spirit that it brings, we can let Sunday be one of the biggest spiritual highlights of our entire week.
If anyone is looking for a few more tips and ideas on planning Sabbath day activities, there are some great ideas in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet! The online version is available here.
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I think honoring the Sabbath is one of those unspoken commandments that seems easy to follow on the surface, but is actually pretty difficult in real life. Taking a day of rest sounds great, but few extend that beyond "work" and do not know that can include not attending sporting events, shopping, going out to eat, etc. I was told that we shouldn't work on a Sabbath, therefore, we should not do anything or participate in anything that makes other people work. They will be working regardless if we go out shopping, but at least we didn't contribute to it... that is the reasoning I got, and it makes sense. But, in reality, is harder to follow than it seems.
Taking a day to rest and rejuvenate our souls is not only something we should do, it is something we should want to do.
Thanks for your comment, Eric! I completely agree, especially about not only avoiding doing work ourselves, but avoiding things that make others work. I remember during the time that I was serving as a missionary in Taiwan, we would avoid taking the train on Sundays, even if it meant riding our bikes in the wind and rain all the way to another city. Even though our small effort was far from sufficient to give the many people who worked with the various trains and stations a day of rest, I know that the Lord was pleased with us for our decision, and we were even better able to feel the sweet spirit of the Sabbath, despite being wet and exhausted.