The Lord is the one who makes us holy. We are to obey him because He is the one who makes us holy. This theme runs through Chapter 22 of Leviticus at least eight times.

I’m thinking our God, who makes us holy, also likes us to celebrate in his honor. We Christians do not often participate or follow the Jewish calendar, but there are several festivals the Lord organized on a permanent basis for his people. They were required to take the day off work and celebrate on these days.

Being with my parents and my grandmother in the backwoods of East Texas these past few days really drives home to me the importance of getting away from it all every now and then, and I can vividly see a glimpse of the WHY behind the festivals the Lord created as well as the WHY behind the Sabbath day.

It was good for my daughter and me to take a day or two off. Rest is a GOOD thing!

Often I feel guilty when I take time off from my usual day to day chores in order to rest. There is always a closet that needs cleaning or a dish that needs to go in the dishwasher or clothes that need folding or dinner that needs cooking. What today’s passage tells me is that the Lord created us to need rest and rejuvenation. The world is not going to stop spinning if I don’t get the laundry done! (that’s not to say that I ever get the laundry done…it is a never-ending, bottomless pit at our house!)

The Israelites found rest for their souls on their Sabbath day as well as during their festivals. Weather permitting, I’d like to find rest for my soul in this upcoming busy week by taking time to do something fun and out of the ordinary…have a mini-festival of thanksgiving!