Which dream are you pursuing?

By Guest Blogger Aaron Swanner

Similar to most young professionals starting out on a career, I bought into the American Dream. I worked long hours to have more money, buy more things, and feel accomplished. But after several years, I realized that pursuing the American dream left me drained, exhausted, burnt out and feeling empty. Then, on January 4th, 2009 my eyes and heart were opened to the Truth. I opened my heart to Jesus and realized that what was more significant, more fulfilling and more authentic than the American Dream is the Heavenly Dream and an entirely new world open up for me. Have you experienced a similar revelation? Or, are you looking for something more in your life?

Scripture provides us abundant passages offering solutions to our chaotic schedules, busyness, and exhaustion. The primary solution offered in scripture is to embrace God’s gift of the Sabbath Day. Unfortunately, many of us hear the word Sabbath and we brush it off as irrelevant in today’s world and even as an obstacle for accomplishing what seems more important.

To better appreciate God’s gift of the Lord’s day, let’s briefly unpack the meaning of Sabbath. Sabbath is the Hebrew word for ‘rest.’ To have a Sabbath day is to preserve a day for resting. In Mark 2:27 Jesus states that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” What Jesus is saying is that the Sabbath day was made for man to have one day of rest from the rest of the week. It is a day we separate from the other six as special and holy to simply rest and restore. What a gift! He gave us one entire day, a holy day, to just rest and rejuvenate.

We hold things deemed ‘Holy’ in higher esteem, and we go to great lengths to honor what is holy and guard them. When God gave us this Commandment, it was given as a reminder to protect and preserve the day as special and as a gift from God to just be still and find rest in our Heavenly Father. It is up to us to decide if want to enjoy the rest he gives us…or fill this day with more busyness.

Realizing the Sabbath as a holy gift from our Creator and having reprioritized my life with a Heavenly Dream as my priority over the American Dream, it became easy for me to change the trajectory I was on and realize that God is our True provider. He truly is ALL we need. This truth became real and it showed me that I needed to believe ALL of His Word and not just the pieces that fit my agenda.

By going all in for The Lord, it meant that I would choose to honor the Sabbath as He instructs us in the third Commandment. Keeping the Sabbath holy, by setting aside all work to focus on my relationship with Jesus and with my family and friends, gave me rest. Along with the rest, I discovered a renewed peace and joy of resting in Him and having the time to enjoy the truly finer things of life.

Since that decision, God has done more with the other six days of my week than I could have ever accomplished trying to do it all on my own in seven days. He has shown me that He is more generous with what He provides me than I could have ever attained by continuing my hectic and empty pace of pursing the American Dream.

Are you, or is someone you know pursuing the American Dream at the expense of missing out on the gifts of the Sabbath? Are you treating the symptoms of tiredness and exhaustion with things like coffee, energy drinks, and medication while wondering, “When do I get a break and is there more to life?”

Let’s consider the options:

1. Pursuing the American Dream and never quite finding it, but instead falling into the trap of emptiness and burn out.

2. Redirecting your attention to the Heavenly Dream by embracing the truth that God will provide more by honoring the Sabbath than you can accomplish on your own.

This seems like an easy choice but it took most of my life to make it. What obstacles are keeping you from making the easier, better and most rewarding choice?

Scripture Passage:

In Genesis 2:2-3 “On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.” We see God setting the example of keeping holy the sabbath.

To dive deeper in your knowledge of learning and living the 10 Commandments on a daily basis in order to experience true joy and freedom, visit our 10 Commandments Page that corresponds to each of the 10 Commandments.