Reader Question- Off Weekend Religion

I preface this with I feel like a ton of people have moderate to severe chronic illnesses now. There are a ton of things to ask surrounding that, but for today- How can one be spiritual/connect with their religion when the weekends are spent on recouping spoons from the work week?

Regards,
Chronically Awesome

Hey there, Chronic. Thanks for writing in!

Very interesting question. I'm going to go on a limb and assume that you have fallen victim to one of the weirdest auto-corrects I have ever seen, because if you truly are forced to spend your weekend recouping spoons, then that is one mother of a chronic condition.

Note: I have since been informed of what was meant by spoons with this fantastic link: http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/wpress/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/
Check it out to see what Chronically Awesome meant by "recouping spoons". 

The easy answer to your question is that while Sunday is classically the day on which services go down, there are plenty of churches that offer weekday or even weeknight options, and those would be worth checking out. But that brings up another problem... are you going to be any more energized after a workday?

Worship falls on weekends for a reason... and that reason is Sabbath. Taking time off is SO important according to the scriptures that it is followed up with massive commands and punishments. The implied lesson is clear... put the fear of God into the masters (the ones who paid others to work) so that they would give their people a day to rest, recuperate, and have a relationship with their God. At the time, it was pretty groundbreaking stuff.

Still is, in many ways.

Worship (however that looks) is supposed to be a time of recuperation, of spiritual recharging. Sadly, it has often been transformed into a sort of religious catch-all: a time when the church squeezes every drop it can out, because we pastors know we're sure not gonna see you for the rest of the week.

This is a violation of the very spirit of the Sabbath.

So some day, when you feel like you're up to it, I'd recommend Sabbath shopping- finding a temple or congregation that meets in a time and place that isn't arduous for you to manage or that can accommodate your special needs (some worshiping bodies are better at this than others) and see if worship does that. If so, it can become a powerful tool for recharging your batteries, no matter when during the week it happens.

In the meantime, when you are at home at not really able to face the outside world, there are plenty of practices offered by a wide variety of religious traditions. One of the most universal is the Mandala. Find a Mandala book (they run about 5-10 bucks at a Half Price Books Store) and some crayons, and fill it out. You'd be amazed how spiritually centering it can be, and how you can allow your mind to focus.

And to my Atheists, don't forget the importance of Sabbath, either. Take some time, at least one day a week, to separate yourself from the day to day grind. And don't just make it a day of doing nothing. Find a worship equivalent... say, volunteering at a Soup Kitchen, or a place where you can sit back and enjoy poetry or music. LOTS of those out there, as well.

Maybe you don't hear God telling you to rest from time to time. That's fine. Now you've heard me say it! 

Addendum: Post-Reading the Spoons article, I have a much clearer idea of what you are talking about and dealing with. I would most definitely recommend mandalas and other at home spiritual options, such as prayer books, as well music.

DFTBA, and thanks! I learned something!