Is your life a hodge-podge of "to do" lists, traffic jams, emergencies, family chores and never-ending tasks? With each passing birthday there seems to be more to do and less time in which to do it!

You're not alone! Many feel trapped and disillusioned by the labor required to eek out an existence.

Where can we find balance and renewal?

According to Exodus 25:8-11 relief is available to those who suffer on an unending treadmill of work and survival-mode living.

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, not thy son, not thy daughter, thy manservant, not thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

n Mark 2:27, Jesus says, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." This means the Sabbath was made for our benefit--a 24-hour breather when we can pull back from the frantic pace of life and reflect on its ultimate purpose.

Sabbath can be a special time to focus on God, family, and other relationships, including those who live around us.

How can we "keep Sabbath" from being forgotten or ignored as an ancient ritual or ceremony?