Sunday, Busy Sunday.

We had a really good speaker on Sunday. I wish i had been able to stay and chat with him, but i had to work at noon, and Church ended @ 1145. Case in point.
The speaker even touched on this subject, about keeping the Sabbath holy. He came from an h-core Presbyterian Methodist upbringing, where they didn't do ANYTHING on Sundays. His mom wouldn't peel potatoes. He could've fired a cannon down Main Street and not hit anyone. It sometimes became a little legalistic, with rules like "You can float, but not swim, you can snooze, but no sleeping..." things like that. It's pretty clear that we as a society have gone in the polar opposite direction.

Check out this article: http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=97e94314-789b-4f7e-b503-ff7db421894d&k=0

Albertans are clearly hard workers, and of course i'm not knocking hard workers! But at what cost? A Sunday on Crowchild Trail is scarecly different from any other day. There are fewer things you can't do on Sundays that could get done some other time during the week. For me as a student, Sundays are one of the few opportunities for me to work, and i've agreed to work alot over the past year. I used to prioritize Sundays, i remember working at the theater, saying i couldn't open on Sundays when everyone else could. My Church is held in this same theater, so i hope it spoke to some of them that that was how seriously i take my faith. But this year, you've probably heard me complaining "oh, i didn't get a weekend this week"... THIS ISN'T HEALTHY! Nor should it be a source of pride for me.

This phrase hit me so deeply: When was the last time you allowed enough silence to hear your own heart beat? I am SO guilty of this! First thing when i wake up: music. I use the SLEEP button to ensure that i need not go without music during my conciousness. (though i discovered that if i listen to music while i sleep, i dream VERY strange music videos for them...) You know when you're in a large group, and a question is asked? or even a small group? The average length of silence a person can stand is 8 seconds. In nursing, we were taught to grit through the silence, and the importance of listening was impressed upon us. (The Therapeutic Use of Silence Lecture). I always thought i was a good listener, but 8 seconds?! That's way too awkward! That's another flaw we have in Western Christianity...we're uncomfortable with silence, both from God and with others. We'd rather research the solution and have it schematically diagrammed for us... better yet, put the solution in a flow chart! A tree diagram! Let's map out our paradigm!

I wonder what a vow of silence would be like. Could i "not speak" for an entire day? that would probably be unsafe in nursing. Could i go a day without music? Did you know that if you sit, crosslegged, on the floor, with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed, the force of your heart beating against your left ventricle is strong enough to rock your body forward? Try it!

See, this is why prayer is so important...it's not just about your alone time with God, though that's the main motivation...it's alone time with yourself too. Or your silence time. The time to just breathe deep and let the tension flow out of you. That's a reason i like yoga, though skill wise, i wish the whole class were spent resting on the floor. You know we're a busy society when you need to PAY to relax. And this subsequently mean that the poor cannot afford to relax.

In conclusion, it's about more than creating rules for the Sabbath and adhering to them strictly ... go past that and see the purpose; the Sabbath as a true day of rest. Fellowship with others. Time to just take a deep breath, and figure out where you are on your journey. Don't forget to look to the side, to see where your fellow travellers are too! Do me a favor, really go and be alone...sit on your floor, and feel the power of your heart move you. Literally.