“Keeping the Lord’s Schedule,” Ensign, Aug. 1973, 70
Keeping the Lord’s Schedule
“It takes two days to keep the Sabbath day holy,” a wise homemaker recently stated. And it does!
You may have heard the young children in Junior Sunday School sing the little hymn, “Saturday Is a Special Day.” And if Saturday can’t be available for making Sunday preparations, then it has to be Friday. Time must be planned for marketing, washing and pressing clothes, cleaning the house, polishing shoes, shampooing hair, and preparing food so only minimum effort is needed on Sunday to serve meals.
The Lord said it this way: “Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work.” (Deut. 5:13.) It appears that women who have the best cared-for homes and the happiest families, and who are ahead rather than behind in their work, honor Sunday as the Lord’s day and do their work the other six days.
On the other hand, those who cook, clean, wash, shop, iron, and mend seven days a week find life a miserable grind and may feel themselves wearing down. They can hardly face Monday morning and “the same thing all over again.” They miss the refreshing and needed break Sunday should offer in the routine of their lives.
Now, no typical Latter-day Saint Sunday is a day of rest, what with meetings to attend, Church assignments to fill, toddlers to look after, and guidance to give growing children in aligning their activities with the spirit of the day. But it’s the Lord’s work we’re attending to, not our own. That makes all the difference!
Just as tithing is the Lord’s way to help us wisely budget our money and have it go further as a result, so is the Sabbath day the Lord’s plan for helping us schedule and manage our time more effectively.
If you are already committed to this way of life, then you are reaping the benefits. If not, plan now to honor the Sabbath by thoroughly planning and preparing for it in advance. You’ll be impressed with all you can accomplish and the good, up-to-date feeling that can be yours. Above all, you and your family will receive spiritual strength in the process.