{"id":784,"date":"2011-05-31T01:00:05","date_gmt":"2011-05-31T08:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/?p=784"},"modified":"2011-05-30T21:17:09","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T04:17:09","slug":"preparing-for-a-day-of-rest-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/31\/preparing-for-a-day-of-rest-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for a Day of Rest, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\u201c\u2026Call the Sabbath a delight\u2026\u201d <\/em>(Isaiah 58:13)<\/p>\n

When our children were little, our Sunday mornings were not <\/strong>a delight, at least not until the Holy Spirit convicted us of our need to change. And as the household has grown smaller while everyone is growing up and leaving, I am noticing that we\u2019ve gotten a bit careless and are leaving \u00a0more to do on Sunday mornings again. Time to rethink things!<\/p>\n

Sunday morning sets the tone for the entire day. We can help our family have a true day of worship and rest by purposefully preparing for the day. Our whole family will be blessed by our efforts to plan ahead.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s spend the rest of this week doing a little bit each day so that we\u2019re prepared for the Lord\u2019s Day when it arrives. We\u2019ll outline a plan for being ready to leave (calmly) on Sunday morning, and we\u2019ll also offer some suggestions to help make the rest of the day more restful (like preparing meals ahead). Let\u2019s see if some planning can turn Sunday into the best day of the week<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

First, make a detailed list.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For today, start by listing everything you need to do to be prepared<\/strong> for Sunday morning. Discuss your list with your husband and ask for his suggestions as well. Try to think of every <\/strong>task that has to be done to get your entire family into the car and on its way to church. It\u2019s actually pretty impressive when you make a list. No wonder it\u2019s hard to manage if we leave it all until Sunday morning! Think about<\/strong>: baths, clothing, shoes and socks, accessories like ties, hair doodads and jewelry, breakfast,\u00a0Bibles and books, offering, diaper bags, housecleaning, preparing for company, food and activities for little ones during worship, closing up the house as you leave. Make your list as detailed as you can.<\/p>\n

Schedule your tasks.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you have completed your list, reorganize it into lists of tasks you can do on different days throughout the week<\/strong>. Some tasks, especially planning tasks, should be taken care of early in the week (tomorrow). Other tasks (such as baths before Sunday) must obviously be done on Saturday. The goal is to not have to do all your preparations on Saturday, and to leave for Sunday only <\/strong>the tasks that must be done that morning (such as getting dressed). Clothes can be prepared earlier in the week, food can be prepared ahead and even frozen, etc.<\/p>\n

You may also choose to make a short checklist<\/strong> to post near the door that you can look at as you are leaving Sunday morning. This list would include last minute items to make sure are getting out the door \u2013 diaper bag, shoes on all feet, bottles \u2013 and last minutes tasks such as turning the oven on to cook dinner, locking windows and doors, etc.<\/p>\n

Next, assign your tasks.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now look back through your entire list. What tasks can you assign to other members of the family?<\/strong> You and your husband may want to discuss this together, or you may choose to include the entire family in this process. Assign as many tasks as possible to other family members.<\/p>\n

Make a master list <\/strong>with all tasks and the people assigned to do them, and post it somewhere where everyone can refer to it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a sample list:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wednesday: <\/strong><\/p>\n