God answers prayer in funny ways sometimes. I've been thinking and praying about Sabbath lately. God intends for us to have a day of rest, and I have desperately wanted one. However, with a household to run, a frequently deployed husband, and three small children to feed and cloth, it just didn't seem to be in the cards. Things I read online about celebrating Sabbath by inviting people over for dinner and/or having a family worship time just seemed like it would create more work and stress for me.

Then in the middle of a Saturday night, God allowed Goose to catch a stomach bug. I braced myself to be drenched in vomit and erased my to-do list for the next day. Fortunately, the stomach bug was the mildest one I've ever encountered. We had three "incidents" to clean up and one very snuggly (if lethargic) toddler to deal with. Obviously we didn't attend church, and I decided that absolutely nothing would get done that day. We snuggled on the couch to watch movies and read books, and once Goose perked up in the afternoon we spend hours outside while the girls played and I read a novel until it got dark. I thawed chicken noodle soup and made toast for dinner. At the end of the day, I didn't feel exhausted; I felt refreshed--like I could actually breathe a prayer of praise after I tucked them in bed instead of another "Lord, help me" as I faced a small pile of the day's dirty dishes. Minus the germs that is what I think Sabbath is meant to feel like. So, next week, I need to take a deep breath on Sunday morning, leave the to-do list blank and give myself permission to rest. Never thought I'd say it, but thank you, Lord, for a stomach bug.