Shame and Sabbath

I'm doing some study on the Sabbath right now. The Sabbath was instituted by God to make us stop and reflect...to enjoy all that God has given us rather than continually striving for more.


It occurred to me that there is a connection between shame and not taking a Sabbath rest. Hurt/shamed people are often driven people. They are driven to prove their worth, driven to make up for past regrets, driven to show that they aren't as hopeless as they feel.


But God calls us to stop, find his rest and hear his voice. Rather than chase the approval of the world, listen to God's voice of unconditional acceptance and approval...not for what you've done through your striving but for who you are...his child.


Maybe you are afraid to stop, rest and listen for fear of what you will hear. Maybe the voices you hear are not of God but of yourself or your parents or other people telling you to do more, work harder, make something of yourself. That's not the voice of God. Listen harder. Listen closer. Beneath all the busyness is a voice calling you to Himself, calling you to wholeness simply by finding your identity in Him. But in order to hear that voice you need to stop and listen. That's what Sabbath is about.

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