One of THOSE Days

I've had one of those mornings...overslept by half-an-hour, last minute changes in song set because one of our vocalists was sick, feedback, mix issues...I could go on.  I was ready to call it quits halfway through the first service.  Then, Pastor Chris began his sermon...on finding our Sabbath rest in God.  I had given the day and the operation of the sound board, to God.  I had humbly asked Him to work through me to create an environment conducive to worship.  Board isn't something that comes naturally to me; I have to work at it.  A lot of my time is spent attempting to focus my ears on what's being heard, not my eyes on what is to be seen.  This can be diffiucult for my short attention span.  Most times, whether at practice on Monday nights or every fourth Sunday when we're up, everything flows naturally.  Today was not one of those days.  I wanted to find another sound person, grab my bag and go hide under a rock somewhere.  I stuck with it, and even though things kept coming up (including tension and a headache), I made it through the morning.  I think I finally exhaled halfway home.
What did I learn in this?  I have to admit that, even though Chris's sermon was good and even though I heard it three times, the message didn't sink in until I got home.  The idea of Sabbath rest is not to be enforced in a legalistic manner.  I know people (heck, I'll admit to at one time being one) that refuse to shop or eat out on Sundays in hopes that those businesses will lose business and close on those days.  I know people that will turn down jobs or create problems with employers over working on Sundays (I'll admit, I'm still one of those people, in a way).  Really, as with many things of Scripture, it comes down to the HEART of the issue.  Are we taking time to remember God and rest? 
One of Chris's statements stuck with me today:  "If we don't live by priorities, we will live by pressures."  And, boy, did I feel the pressure today.  My priority--creating an atmosphere of worship by mixing sound components and regulating audio levels--was over-shadowed by the pressure of being  perfect, of getting it right, of trying to impress.  What a reminder. 

Father, forgive me for losing sight of the REAL reason I do what I do.  Forgive me for trying to please man, for wanting to receive compliments that fade.  Help me, Lord, to rest in You, to allow You to do the work.  Refresh this soul, Lord.  Help me to understand more and more that the Sabbath was created for man, and not man for the Sabbath.