Ahhhhhhh Sundays.....

There is truly nothing like a Sunday afternoon to me.  Especially this one.  It is absolutely gorgeous outside--not too hot, not too cold.  I don't feel the need to HAVE to be productive today either.  To me, this is Sunday, a day of rest.  Although the day doesn't start out too restful (since I work at church), it is really my favorite day of the week.

Yes, I do have to work on Sundays, but it's the kind of work that I LOVE!  Furthermore, starting out the week worshipping my Savior with other believers is so wonderful.  It doesn't mean that I'm not going to have a difficult week but it sure makes it a little easier to bear knowing God is with me. 

Rascal Flatts came out with a song a while back called "Mayberry", which actually is the ringtone on my cell phone right now.  There is a line in it that goes, "Sunday was a day of rest, now it's one more day for progress."  I truly believe that is what our society has made Sundays into; another day to get ahead. 

Now, keep in mind that I was not brought up in the tradition of avoiding places of business on Sundays.  In fact, many Sundays I would go shopping or out to eat.  In more recent years, while I was waitressing, I was the one rushing out of church after changing into my work uniform, trying to get there on time.  Now, after being married for 3 years to someone who was brought up not to go places of business on Sundays, I really see the value of it. 

Of course, there are some places that cannot be closed, and thus, many people have to work: hospitals, police stations, fire stations, etc., you get the idea.  But after seeing it through my husband's eyes, I really see that we are supposed to rest.

For a while, I fought back against him.  In fact, I remember saying to him quite often, "you're not going to change this so I don't know why you even bother to try!"  I wasn't raised this way and I didn't see it being a problem.  The argument I would raise to him a lot is that I never really had Sundays off so as long as I had another day to rest and regroup, it really doesn't matter which day of the week that was.  However, I decided that if he was really adamant about this then I needed to respect his wishes and be submissive in this way. 

Upon my respecting his wishes, I have begun to undestand just what he has meant this entire time.  Again, I understand that many people HAVE to work, for the reasons I mentioned in two prior paragraphs.  But, why does every restaurant have to be opened?  Why does every shopping place have to be opened?  Why are schools moving sporting events to Sundays now?  What happened to the sacredness of Sundays?

Chick-Fil-A is a very well-known chain, mostly in southern states (we need one here though.  It is delicious!!).  They are not opened Sundays and believe me, they are not hurting from this in the least!  In Michigan we have Russ', which is also closed on Sundays and they seem to be doing just fine.

I feel a little old fashioned in my new view, but I have really come to embrace this as my own belief.  Mark didn't change me; he enlightened me.