There is more to the weekend than you know.

I don't know what you do for work, but if you are like most husbands and fathers, you have to work really hard throughout the week to make sure your family is taken care of. And like most guys the weekend is reserved for relaxing and investing in your family.

Today, I want to make a case for something more.

When I grew up, Saturday was the day we cleaned the house. Bathrooms were cleaned. The whole house swept. Laundry was done. Pressing the laundry was done (does anyone press clothes anymore?). All these tasks were to be done before 2pm, when my parents would start coming home from work.

Both of my parents had businesses. It seemed that business, consume most of my childhood. The concept of slowing down or relaxing was not a concept we knew.

I give you this background because my life is so much different today.

One of the pillars, we established in of our family, is that we celebrate Sabbath.

I can go into the details why I believe celebrating Sabbath is a scriptural edict, but for now let me share how it transformed my marriage, my family and me personally.

To tell you it was a game changer in my life would be an understatement. As a husband, dad and boss, my list of to dos and responsibilities expand daily. I'm sure you feel much the same.

Becoming overwhelmed with responsibilities seems to be a common occurrence. People and situations demanding your attention never stops. Having to make decisions creates fatigue. Problems and broken things demand an answer. This all came to a halt, when I started celebrating Sabbath. I'll tell you why and how in a minute.

There are few things in this world that can make time stop. For me it was golfing. I'm not a good golfer at all. But when I was with friends on the green or riding the golf cart to the next tee, it was like time stood still. Nothing could get to me.

When I first played golf, cell phones weren't a thing. That meant nobody could reach me. Nobody could contact me with a question or concern or problem. It was like I was on another planet.

Today, it wouldn't be like that, unless I left my phone in the car, and let everyone know, I would be out of pocket for the next 3 hours. Those times on the golf course, or today, backpacking where there is no cellular service, are gifts from the Eternal.

I don't know if you've had any experiences like that. I hope you have. But if you haven't, Sabbath is like this.

On Sabbath, nobody can touch me. There are no concerns. We shut down the coffee houses, so there won't be any problems. We don't travel, so there can be no flat tires, no wrecks.

We didn't know when we started to celebrate Sabbath that we were supposed to prepare. But now we do. And because we are prepared, I don't experience any lines at the grocery store. I get into absolutely no traffic on the roads. That means no road rage coming from me. I have what I want to eat at home. I have cigars to smoke. I have Sabbath drinks, reserved, to be consumed.

If this were the extent of it, it would be worth it. But there's more ( I sound like I'm selling sham wow - https://www.shamwow.com.).

Because I know, and my subconscious knows, that a break in the toil is coming, my capacity to work hard with intensity has grown. I think that when we sense there is no end to the work, we look for ways to conserve our energy for the long term. Maybe this is why after years of being at the same job, it's hard to keep up the intensity. Maybe its because we sense there will never be a break.

I see this intensity with my kids and wife. I can ask them to push themselves harder, to get the job done. They don't complain, because they know Sabbath is coming. They can push through because there's light at the end of the tunnel.

But there is more. This cycle of working six days and resting the seventh, creates a cadence that is sustainable. Before celebrating sabbath, my life, my projects all just muddled together. There was no distinction. Now, I have a sense of moving forward and getting traction.

Time doesn't go at a monotonous pace now. Instead there is a feeling of coming out of the gates hard and fast, getting into a rhythm. Hitting your goals and tasks. Even more satisfying is Thursday and Friday. Tying up loose ends and getting ready for Sabbath.