Working and the Sabbath (post 1)

NOTE: As this is meant to be an interactive site, I hope to add to this title in later posts

So another week is done and now some of us prepare for our Sabbath worship.  It really is the best thing to start your week with right?  And while those who are able to maintain a normal (or mostly normal) Sunday, many of us have, are, or will be put on a Sunday rotation.  This... for lack of a better word... sucks.  Now let me lead this posting by saying I am currently not on this shift, but I have worked it with this job and in others of the past (including BYU Police of all places!).  And here is where I make a plug for you all to comment so my further posts have even more experience behind it.  Seriously, I don't want to be the only experience here.

At an early age, I was introduced to this unique concept of determining the balance of Sabbath worship and work.  My first real job was taking care of boarding animals.  Go figure, they still have to eat, get out of the cage, and take meds even on Sunday!  Now I had often been told that working on Sundays was bad.  Ok, maybe I interpreted it as that.  So the struggle of having a job vs following the Lord seemed overly complicated.

Then I actually pondered the counsel.  It was not (and never has been) that working on Sundays is bad.  It is that the Sabbath is a day to worship the Lord.  Our General Authorities have counseled for years this point.  But did you know they have also counseled for years that there are certain jobs that are "essential services that must be continued on the Sabbath."

"Some work must be done on Sunday. (See Elder Mark E. Petersen, Ensign, May 1975, p. 49.)"

Emergencies need us to respond.  The world needs our service.  And do you think the Lord would just say, "oh well, its Sunday so I guess it will have to wait"?  Of course not.  That is Pharisee/Sadducees talk.  But I will add one "however": I am talking about a NORMAL scheduled, overtime, or mandatory shift.  That really sweet extra gig is likely not following after correct counsel.

Here is the counsel that most struck me the most (though it was not this Ensign quote and unfortunately I was unable to locate the more recent one):

"... it seems clear that we should not take the position that all such work should be left strictly to nonmembers. We need good Latter-day Saints in all honorable occupations, to influence and to bless those they work with and those they serve."  Working on Sunday, Ensign

Do you hear that LEOs?  The world needs good Latter-Day Saints to bless others.  You are who he is talking about.

Takes on a new meaning for us right?

So now that you know what you do is needed and supported, how do you go about your life without the normal service?  Quick answer: adapt and overcome.

Longer answer: you (and your family) need to counsel with the Lord for the best way to keep the Sabbath day holy and increase you spirituality.  This is the only actual counsel I can give on the matter.  I do have some advice from my experience and others.

- Start your Sabbath with the same diligence you would give if you were finally able to attend a normal service.  Wake up early, pray, study, ponder, give thanks, prepare.  Though this is just another day at work, the time before and after are still the Sabbath.

- Because you likely are going to have weekdays off that hardly anyone else is going to have off, go to the temple.  Seriously.  It will be filled with elderly people and missionaries.  Who better to gain wisdom with?  And if you live further from the temple, you now have more time to get there.  Make the sacrifice like you would if you could have the Sabbath off.

- Give up a full lunch time to attend a Sacrament meeting in your area.  Invest in an earpiece and keep the patrol car ready to go but get inside.  I know it is not possible for everyone, but put forth the effort and like my first point, prepare for it.

- Try doing some community policing on Sunday.  Unless a hot call comes out, I don't know a department anywhere that would send you to Admin for serving the community.  Remember Jesus' travels?  He didn't just teach, He showed his love.

Awesome and true statement

I know there is more advice but start with this.  Do the little things.  Get and keep an active temple recommend.  And remember, you are doing better than you think.  Take it to the next level.  The Lord could come at any time and what better time than catching us serving our fellow man?

Godspeed LEOs

-LDS Sheepdog