Stats: 6'4", 300lbs, Bench: 175, Squat: 145, Shoulder Press: 115, Deadlift: 280. Read entire sidebar. Going through it again in the 100's. Finances: First contract as software engineer - about 40k/year. Spiritual: Mature. Being discipled/making disciples. Pray daily. Read my bible 4 days this last week. Married 10 years, 4 kids.

Mission: I make disciples who make disciples. Before I die, I will see at least one disciple maker in each family in my county. This mission is too big to accomplish by myself.

Men,

A few years ago I put in some effort to develop the discipline of Sabbath. For several years now I've been enforcing sabbath in my life and in my marriage. It's not always Sunday. Its always been centered around which day of the week is currently the best day for me to take a day off. I don't do any work on that day. I have been okay with pursuing hobbies (those aren't technically work in my mind). Since I started lifting, I will not lift on my sabbath.

This has been going well, but over the last several months I've noticed that my sabbath doesn't seem to be as rejuvenating as I want it to be. I end up getting insanely frustrated during my sabbath days because I just can't seem to get some actual rest. I never quite feel rested at the end. So I feel like I'm just wasting a day of my life each week and accomplishing nothing from it.

I've tried to pin-point what's causing the problem and I think its the fact that I have kids (I'm open to the idea that I'm just not being disciplined enough). It doesn't matter what I do, the kids are always needing something from me. They fight with each other or get hurt. They feel tired so they get super whiny and also fight me when I put 'em down for a nap. I rule my family pretty sternly, but my children exhaust me and I have no idea how I'm supposed to sabbath in this situation.

As I was thinking about it yesterday, I realized that my wife probably feels the same way. She watches the kids all day everyday and never gets any kind of significant break from them. As the head of my household, and in keeping good faith with my duty to love my wife as Christ loves the church, it's my job to ensure my wife is also enabled to get the kind of sabbath rest she needs as well.

I have no idea how I'm supposed to navigate this. My first thoughts are that I need to send her somewhere away from the kids for a few hours and then when she gets back, I can go somewhere away from the kids for a few hours.

I've been trying to be intentional about my sabbath and I feel lost with this one.