Delight Day

“Work, work, work, work, work, work, REST.”

My friend & mentor had us clap out the rhythm while saying these words out loud at our women’s small group.

“Work, work, work, work, work, work, REST.”

At the time I rolled my eyes but participated. I knew what lesson was about to follow and I didn’t want to hear it. I sat at a table surrounded by women – half of them empty nesters, the other half exhausted moms like me who were lucky to have their shirts on right side out. As a Mom of two littles born 16 months apart, I felt my insides beginning to crawl as she talked about the importance of developing “sacred rhythms” she called it; finding the balance between work and rest just as God had done at creation – 6 days of work, 1 day of rest.

Developing a rhythm has never come easy to me. I found any sense of schedules or deadlines incredibly confining. At the time I had started a job I absolutely loved. However, I was becoming more aware that my mental & emotional energies were divided. Busyness quickly became an unholy invasion on a sacred space – a space the Lord longed to inhabit.

Sitting there in group that day, I knew it had to change. For the sake of my family & for my own personal sanity. We’re far from perfecting it, but here’s a few tips to get started in establishing a day of rest with your family-

1. NAME IT. In spiritual direction, when someone has a significant encounter with the Lord, one of the questions we often ask is, “If you were writing a book on your life, what title would you name this chapter/experience?” I kept this in mind as I was praying about what to call our day of rest. The answer came as my (then 4 year old) son and I were on the way to the grocery store to pick up a special treat for our first family day. He was so excited! I can still remember the toothless, mile wide grin on his face as he clapped & said with his endearing lisp, “this is thhhsoooo delightful, isn’t it, mom?” Surprised, I turned around and asked him ,”where did you learn that word?” I knew that we rarely said it before, if ever. He didn’t answer my question but just giggled and said “It is though, right? Isn’t this delight-FULLLLL?” Right then and there, “Delight Day” was born!
2. ESTABLISH A RITUAL. Try to make it the same day & time every week. I know life happens, and there’s definitely grace & flexibility in that. But we’ve found that a consistent day/time helped us with ‘resetting’ our weekly internal clocks. It also became something we all looked forward to!  Another ritual we have is that we mark the start of our time together by lighting a candle. There are endless other ways you can start your time – having a moment of silence, sharing what you’re thankful for or eating a special meal to name a few. Whatever is unique & works for your family.
3. TAKE IT IN STRIDE. At first, my expectation for this time together was to make it a super spiritual experience. Somehow I imagined our little family having these amazing, life altering encounters through hours of silence & scripture. But in reality, many times it looks more like questions during board games, time in nature or a good, long nap. Little by little, as I loosened up & we stuck with it, we’ve seen the Lord capture our attention through creativity & imagination…. and it’s been fun! We also have incorporated some spiritual practices like the examen or lectio over time, but it didn’t start out that way.
4. GUARD IT FIERCELY.  Once you choose to make this a priority for your family & establish a day/time, it will be glaringly obvious that just because you are choosing to slow down, the world doesn’t. It continues to spin at a frantic & exhausting pace. We can become the agents of change in this area by example. Turn off the electronics, put a note on the door, don’t talk about work or ministry, meet with friends & extended family later… this is your time with your family unit. Your safe & sacred space to hang out with Jesus & delight in Him together as He delights in you.

I hope this gives you a few helpful hints that you can use in establishing your own day of rest. What are some ways you like to connect with & experience God as a family?