Photo by Leigh (Bell Buckle TN)

Ancient Path of Obedience: Shabbath does a body good (and your mind)! 

Leigh Caruthers

I have always been a hard worker. I come from a long line of those who worked the land. I've had many times in my life where I worked more than 1 job to get by. Although It was not always about making money and paying bills for me. It was about keeping my mind occupied and busy. As long as I was working, studying, and focusing my mind on anything else, I could shut out my past. I struggled with anxiety, panic attacks, worry, and fear. When I had any amount of downtime, that was an opportunity for the adversary to play one of his prepared reels in my mind that consisted of a list of my failures, embarrassing moments, or reminders of my sins. I filled my time with as many activities as possible. I lived life in a constant state of fight or flight. 

What is fight or flight? The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. The perception of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee. In other words, it's exhausting!! I was always 2 steps away from a breakdown. I could not manage my emotions, and most days I was a walking powder keg just waiting on a spark to set me off to fight or immediately to flee! Neither of those would ever bring a resolution to that constant state of anarchy within my mind. Who was driving this runaway train anyway? Well, it was me trying to avoid myself and the mess I had made trying to manage everything on my own. 

I worked as a Nurse for 20 + years, the last 11 years in Home Health. I was working even when I was technically off work either with paperwork or mandatory on-call. During my last 3 months of Home Health, I was on call 24/7 due to no other Nurse on staff. I drove thousands of miles over those years, and my body finally had enough of all the wear and tear. I was pouring myself out to others in every way possible. I was broken in my mind, body, and spirit. My husband and I went to church on Sundays. I prayed that I would be restored and refilled, yet I would walk away every week empty and then immediately go home and work on my chores there. I cried out to Yahuah asking, "Where are you? How do I find you? How can I get closer to you?" This is where our narrow path walk began. 

Photo by Leigh (North Carolina Beach)

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls.

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I read these scriptures in Matthew over and over as we stepped out onto the narrow path. The very first step for us was asking ourselves if we should be keeping Shabbath. Is it for all of Yahuah's children? Where is it first mentioned in our scripture? 

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day Elohiym ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Gen 2:3  And Elohiym blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Elohiym created and made.

Did Yahuah need to rest? 

Isa 40:28  Did you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting Elohim, יהוה, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Yahuah never faints nor is weary, so why did he rest on the seventh day? He was setting an example for his children. As parents, we should lead by example, and this is exactly what our heavenly Father is doing. He made us. He knows that we need a break from the stresses of the world.  

We know that the body's "fight or flight" response sends out hormones called catecholamines to speed up heart rate and blood pressure. The opposite action of relaxation lets your body know it’s OK to save energy. Your parasympathetic system takes over and releases a hormone called acetylcholine. That slows your heart rate down. Your muscles relax, digestion slows down, you hurt less, and your immune system works better. Your mind can rest, and you can decompress completely. 

He also wanted to sanctify a day that we would spend focused on him and not our work, worries, or stresses, and he wanted every single person to be able to have this opportunity which is why we don't work nor do we make other people work. What about emergencies? 

Mat 12:11  And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Shabbath, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

Mat 12:12  How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is Lawful to do well on the Shabbaths.

What is the significance of Shabbath? Does it really matter to Yahuah if we keep Shabbath? Shabbath appears in 115 verses in scripture, with 140 total matches. I am adding just a few below to give us a better understanding. 

Exo 20:8  Remember the day of the Shabbath, to keep it holy.

Exo 20:9  Six days shall you labor, and do all your work:

Exo 20:10  But the seventh day is the Shabbath of Yahuah Elohayka: in it, you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:

Exo 20:11  For in six days Yahuah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahuah blessed the day of Shabbath, and hallowed it.

Isa 58:13  If you turn away your foot from the Shabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the Shabbath a delight, the holy of Yahuah, honorable; and shall honor him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words:

Isa 58:14  Then shall you delight yourself in Yahuah; and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Ya`aqov your father: for the mouth of Yahuah has spoken it.

Ezk 20:20  And hallow my Shabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am Yahuah Elohaykem.

"...shall be a sign between me and you..." looking at the word sign in Hebrew we find it in  H226   (Brown-Driver-Briggs); אות; 'ôth; BDB Definition:

1) sign, signal

1a) a distinguishing mark

So many are focused on the mark of the beast and how to avoid it. My question is do we know what the mark of Yahuah is? Here we clearly see that the word "sign" in Hebrew actually means "a distinguishing mark." It's important to research your scripture so you can discern the complete context. Where do we read about such a sign or mark of Yahuah?

Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of Elohiym in their foreheads.

We find the word "Seal" in Greek: G4973   (Strong); σφραγίς; sphragis; sfrag-ece'; Probably strengthened from G5420; a signet (as fencing in or protecting from misappropriation); by implication the stamp impressed (as a mark of privacy, or genuineness), literally or figuratively: - seal.

So we can deduce that mark and seal are ultimately the same. I don't know about you but I pray for the seal of Yahuah to be in my forehead. I want to be counted worthy to enter my Father's house. I long to hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant."

Photo by Leigh (Leo)

Photo by Leigh (Xena)

So after we decided that Shabbath WAS for us to keep, we took our first awkward steps onto the narrow path. It was difficult at first. It never fails that when you make a commitment to Yahuah in one way or another you will be proven whether you actually meant it or not. It's almost as if Father is saying to you, "prove it!" So many things will come against you. So many events are always scheduled on Shabbath. 

Which day is Shabbath? We follow the 7th day of Shabbath as written in Genesis. At the bottom of this blog, I will include a link to our YouTube discussion on Shabbath. I am including a screenshot we provided in our discussion. The countries in green still call the "Saturday" Sabbath. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/STxXs4fgiLs?si=A7pDXeq1OIB8MEcw

Shabbath has been a blessing in our lives in so many ways. I have that relationship with Yahuah and Yahusha I was crying out for. My anxiety, panic, and avoidance of letting my mind rest have been replaced with rejoicing and praise for Yahuah! I have the rest needed for my mind, body, and spirit that I was dying for. I have the Shalom of Yahuah and a day that finally refills and refreshes me so that I can endure until the final Shabbath of eternity. HalleluYah! Leave me a comment below to let me know your thoughts on Shabbath or if you have questions concerning Shabbath! As always I pray for blessings for you and over your house! 

Photo by Leigh (Muffin)