14 Challenge

Our Spring Break trip to Tybee Island a month ago was a fresh reminder of what I had read recently on the importance of creating "Sabbath Spaces" in our life and home.

" Remember the Sabbath ( Shabbat-stopping, cessation) day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8

" God was requiring His people to do something exactly opposite from what they had grown used to doing ( for almost 400 years!). Instead of endlessly working , one day after another, engaging in every demanded activity,they were to stop- purposefully carve out time to be still and enjoy Him- to celebrate a time of rest, rejuvenation, and spiritual focus that would perpetuate their experience of freedom, not just in theory but practical terms. In other words, the Sabbath principle was the total reverse of the slavery they had already experienced in Egypt and a protection against sliding into another form of bondage." The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shrier.




Our chains of bondage may not take the form of the Israelites years ago when God gave this commandment. But our family of 5 is often held captive by the ever increasing daily demands and hectic schedules of suburban life in 2012. But what a gift He gives us to keep us from sliding into bondage of all forms- REST!

How can I turn crowded spaces into Sabbath- breath taking- spaces? While our family may not be able to escape to the shore weekly, how can I bring this coastal calm into our lives daily?

Shrier suggest a " 14 Challenge". Historically, Sabbath was 1 day out 7 , the equivalent of 14% of our week. She asks you to look at your family's lifestyle, your calendar and even your closet spaces( clean out!) ! Where can you carve out 14 % in your home and life to stop, rest and escape activity, schedules and routines?


As an artist, it may not surprise you... math is not my strength. Nor do numbers really speak to me or motivate me in any way. So whether or not I hit " 14 % " I will never know. But I am ever more so convicted to create these spaces as a woman, to have them in my marriage and teach them to my boys so that our home and lives continually express His grace and freedom.