The Other Day

Scott Wegener on the days of the year.

Signs of the Times, May 2014

How lovely is Mothers day. It’s a wonderful time where red textas are drained onto home-made cards and huge quantities of soap bars are sold – some smelling so strong that one curious sniff from poor Fido will instantly paralyse his back legs in the fully extended position.

We have mothers and fathers days, perhaps only less celebrated than Christmas day and our birthdays. But there are all sorts of less celebrated days during the year. There’s grandparents day’s, children’s day, Aunty and uncles day, Cousin day, pets day and, wait for it, ex-spouse day and mother-in-law day (Augh-ha! Now I see where the demand for strong soap come from!)
Then there are also days (and weeks and months) which have been designed to celebrate, raise money for or bring awareness to all sorts of different causes.

According to nationalcalendar.com.au, in the month of May alone Australia has, but isn’t limited to the following ‘days/weeks’

Tasmanian Crime Stoppers Week, Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month, Starlight Day, World Press Freedom Day, Australian Dance Week, International Midwives Day, International Composting Awareness Week, International No Diet Day, National Migratory Bird Day, Schizophrenia Awareness Week, International Nurses Day, International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day, National Volunteer Week, National Families Week , International Day Against Homophobia, International Museum Day, Spinal Health Week, International Day for Biological Diversity, Walk Safely to School Day, World Turtle Day, International Missing Children's Day, Macular Degeneration Week, National Palliative Care Week, National Sorry Day, Wee Week (Kidney Health), National Reconciliation Week, White Wreath Day (In Remembrance of all Victims of Suicide) and World No Tobacco Day.

All these days (and weeks) in just one month! In fact, the very moment you are reading this, there are probably 3 or more causes you should be studying, sharing or donating to – even if you can’t pronounce some of them.

There was one most notable omission from this list which I would like to bring to you attention.
There is a weekly awareness campaign (yes every week) that was started some 6000 years ago.

This means out of the 365.25 days of the year, 52 of them have been allocated to remembering this cause! What is it? Why it’s awareness and remembrance of the creator of Earth day – or Sabbath as it’s usually referred to. This weekly day of remembrance is perhaps most notably mentioned at position four of the Bible’s Ten Commandments.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20: 8-11 (NIV)

Perhaps it’s coincidence, but being such a frequent remembrance day could well mean it’s the most important of all causes to remember. Unfortunately, looking around, I’m not sure the message is getting though how God desires it to. It seems the annual Mother’s day of praising and serving mothers, is remembered more rigorously than the weekly Sabbath a day intended for praising and serving God.

Maybe if the Ten Commandments instructed the gift of strong smelling soap more people would remember to take part? If only God had a use for soap.