Anne Lamott said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” It’s true. So why does keeping a Sabbath rhythm often feel so hard? Rest shouldn’t be work, right? Yet I often struggle to rest. My heart longs for it. There are days I wake up and my first thought is, “Can I go back to sleep now?” But to actually pause and stop is not as easy as it sounds.
Just the word Sabbath can leave me sweating. To start off with, there is the Saturday vs. Sunday debate, and then the question of how I can actually rest from work around the house. I can’t just take a 24-hour break from changing diapers, as tempting as that sounds. At times I think about the Little House on the Prairie books when Sabbath meant sitting still for hours on straight-backed chairs in hot scratchy dresses with a long list of don’t’s attached to keeping the Sabbath. That hardly sounds restful.
As an Enneagram 1, my mind can jump too quickly to questions like Am I doing this right? and What should I do to honor the Sabbath? instead of considering what I could do. One key to truly understanding the purpose of Sabbath is found in Mark 2:27. Jesus was having one of his signature mic drop moments and said to his critics, the Pharisees, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (NIV).
In our drive to keep a Sabbath, are we totally missing the point as the Pharisees did? Are we making the day about a list of rules instead of a sacred time to remind ourselves that we are human? We can’t meet every need. We can’t thrive without rest. Sabbath is a gift, a beautiful rhythm tucked into the week. It is a needed reminder that we are more than our work. Our creator loves us for who we are, not just what we do. Our strength is found in him—in abiding, in resting in pausing to reflect on his goodness. He is the one who gives true rest and our souls need that.
It is interesting though, that the ability to rest often takes preparation. I love the traditional Jewish rhythm of Sabbath starting at sundown with a meal pre-prepared during the day. Work is finished and there is time to just sit together and enjoy the blessings that God provides like family and food. Then, as the sun sets again 24 hours later, work resumes.
One practical way I have found in my current season with young kids is to do small things in advance to prepare for a day of rest. This often means making muffins or banana bread the day ahead so that the start of the day feels less hectic. I typically take a day off laundry and aim for an afternoon nap and to read a book, practices that help both my mind and body relax. I have had seasons where I have chosen not to engage with social media for a 24-hour period to give my mind a break from things that want to call me away from the present. Since meal prep can feel like such an exhausting endeavor due to preparing most food from scratch, once a week I try to be intentional about keeping meals simple or even eating out for a meal which saves on dishes. Even simple things can be a reminder that this day is different from others. Maybe that is using paper plates or disposable diapers for the day. I know of families who do a charcuterie board for dinner instead of cooking a full meal. Seek to weave in restful traditions that leave you feeling full.
When it comes to celebrating Sabbath, keep in mind that rest can look different in different seasons. When in the thick of language learning, a day at a local church steeped in a language that’s not the one your mind is used to is probably the opposite of restful. Many pastors choose to Sabbath on a weekday as opposed to the weekend. The important thing is to pause and set aside time that is different from the norm. As Jesus pointed out, the Sabbath was made for man. It is a gift. We need it. We function better when we take those breaks, so don’t get tripped up too much on what you should or shouldn’t do. Take time to lean into how you are uniquely wired. How do you best rest in this season? What practical things can you do to connect with the One who created the beautiful gift of rest?
What are some practical ways you practice keeping the Sabbath? How has your Sabbath practice changed over time?
