On another odd Sabbath I'm spending a lot of time thinking about what it means to honor "the Lord's Day." As a physician, no one ever questions my commitment to the Church when working on Sunday; but for those we now deem "essential," their labor has always been looked down on.

Many times we hear stories of church leaders asking those who hold these types of jobs to just quit and rely on their faith to carry them through and provide them other experiences. You know who is never asked to do this, people in "professional" jobs, like me.

I am embarrassed about the amount of times on my mission I asked those in tenuous financial circumstances to "put their faith in the Lord" and try to find other jobs that would allow them to take Sundays off. Because those in leadership traditionally are not from their ranks

These were people living in the most humble of circumstances. Living in tin shacks and scrambling for jobs to provide for their families. And I exploited their faith in a higher being to conform to Western notions of religion and the luxury of "rest" that they couldn't afford

My parents had to sacrifice a lot to provide me with the opportunities I've been given. In this sense, they are some of the most Christ-like people I know. But, we were afforded privileges unimaginable in other countries. And I have never experienced true poverty and want.

Many of us advance into leadership because we talk well and received pretty good education. We "have the leisure time" and can "afford" the costs of leadership and responsibility. Much like the rest of society, we advance because we don't have the burdens that come with poverty.

Our hospital wouldn't run without the housekeepers, maintenance staff, IT support, pharmacy and patient care techs who far outnumber the doctors and nurses routinely getting applauded in grater society. But guess which ones would be asked to look for other work.

In these trying times we've come to see that those whose labor has been devalued and shit on as "work teenagers could do" and "unskilled labor" are absolutely essential in helping our society function. And they deserve the respect, or whatever you want to call it, I get.

As I've thought more about it, honoring the Sabbath means doing as Christ would: sacrificing what we have in service of those we love. For some, that means working essential jobs to help support those they love. For others, it means being bored in your house and #StayatHome

For me personally, it's going to mean more appreciating those who support me in all it's forms, my parents for what they sacrificed, my friends for all they put up with, essential workers who keep our society running. But appreciating isn't just empty.

One of the concepts I love most about the Church is the holistic ideal of the fast. It's when we voluntarily offer up a privilege we enjoy as a sacrifice and administer some of it to those in need. Often times it's food, for some it can be time, for others, just comfort.

And so to keep this Sabbath holy, I'm sacrificing some wants and committing to honor those Christ would look out for. I'm donating a little extra to some organizations helping those who need it and calling my elected leaders to support legislation that values them appropriately.

PS if you have a great organization I could support in some way, LMK