The Discipline of Sabbath
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 58:13-14
I recently attended a leadership conference where they asked us to log where our daily time is spent. There were about 4 different categories; work, spiritual, physical and personal. I was immediately overwhelmed because this chart required you to log everything as percentages, which meant you had to calculate the daily percentage of time spent in each category before figuring out the monthly percentage. For some of you, this is no big deal, but I hate math and unlike the average person it takes time for me to figure that stuff out. So I wrote a random number in the box and said out loud “Nope. Not doing this.” I didn’t even try, which historically, is a red flag.
Why am I resisting this?
Why am I refusing to engage?
I looked at the chart again and whether I did the math or not it was clear so much of my time (like 80% of my time) was spent working. Items like counseling, leading prayer groups, Bible studies, worship team meetings, small groups, sermon prep, blogging all of it fell into the work category. The more I looked at it the more overwhelmed I became. I knew this was not ok nor healthy. I knew the amount of time spent working had to change, but I felt helpless. I began to cry. My life felt out of balance and I knew other areas of my life were suffering because of it.
The speaker at the session began to explain different practices we could engage in to find replenishment from work. She encouraged all of us to take time to self-reflect and think of activities we partake in to recharge. I thought of things I enjoy doing such as reading, journaling, listening to music, cooking and baking. My blood pressure began to decrease.
“Ok, I got this, I like doing these things. I can make time for them. I’ll just drop this and that and I’ll be good”.
Then the speaker said something that stuck with me. “Don’t try to find balance in life, try to find rhythms. Your life will never be perfectly balanced, but you can engage in rhythms that will help you maintain health in seasons of stress or seasons of ease.”
After she said this, I thought about rhythms, practices, disciplines that Joshua and I have implemented in our marriage and family life.
I thought about the discipline of Sabbath.
Sabbath has been a life-giving practice in our family. I first started thinking about the practice of Sabbath as it became clear that God was calling Joshua and I into full-time ministry. I wanted our marriage and family to be regularly maintained, especially as we entered a demanding and unfamiliar field of work. We were (and still are) a young family. I knew we had to preserve the beauty found in us. The beauty found in the family unit. It was clear from years of being a pastor’s kid that we would have to learn how to rest. Not how to veg-out or binge Netflix, but truly rest.
So, I began to study the discipline of Sabbath. I realized, all my life I had checked off “observing the Sabbath” simply because I went to church on a Sunday morning (like many of us, I am sure). However, as I studied scripture I realized it was so much more.
Here is what I found:
The Sabbath is a gift.
Isn’t it ironic that the majority of us don’t know this about the Sabbath. Most of us know “Well, the Lord created the world in 6 days and then He rested on the 7th. That 7th day is the Sabbath. It is in the 10 commandments. That’s why we have to do it today.” However, it is not just the day the Lord rested, but it was intended to be a precious gift from the Lord to us. Mark 2:27-28 says “Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”
The Israelites (as seen in Exodus 16:29) did not understand that the Sabbath was given to them as a gift. They kept the Sabbath because it was a command and something they thought they needed to do in order to appear obedient to the Lord’s commands. They were missing the point. That through the Sabbath the Lord wanted to teach them something. He wanted to give us the gift of resting in Him.
Sabbath reminds us to rest in Him.
“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30
In a world that is so bombarded with doing, striving and competition God wants to give us rest. The Israelites had been slaves for so long they had developed a slave mentality. They didn’t know how to rest. They assumed that even though God had freed them and promised them provision, they would still have to hustle and provide for themselves. They had one job, to do what God was calling them to do (aka trust Him). I believe we struggle with this same thing today. The idea of hustling, striving and providing for ourselves just in case God doesn’t come through.
Timothy Keller says, “God appointed the Sabbath to remind us that He is working and resting. To practice the Sabbath is a disciplined and faithful way to remember that you are not the one who keeps the world running, who provides for your family, not even the one who keeps your work projects moving forward.” Jesus does the work. So if He is doing all the work, what is our job? To be obedient to what He is calling us to do and to rest in Him.
The Sabbath reminds us that He is the sustainer.
“For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets say, ‘We are his offspring...” Acts 17:28
Who created the world in 6 days? God did. Who provided food for the people of Israel every day of the week? God did. Who died for our sins and rose again on the Sabbath? God did. Do you see the pattern here? Who is doing all the work? God or us? Sabbath is meant for us to look to God and give Him glory and praise Him for who He is, what He has done and will do. So when I am overwhelmed with all that needs to be done at work, Sabbath allows me the space and time to remember that He sustains it all. My job is to do what He is calling me to do. To trust that He is in control. To trust that He will provide. Since He was faithful last week we can trust that He will be faithful again this coming week. We can boldly believe God to be faithful again and again. Remember: We don’t strive to do the work. No striving. The Spirit does the work for us. He sustains us. Read more on that here.
So what does this all look like practically in our lives?
Set time apart to rest. It doesn’t have to be a full day or a Sunday, but take a chunk of scheduled time weekly to reflect on what the Lord has done and celebrate how He has sustained you. Why schedule it? Because making time for it allows for a greater probability that it will happen. It could be a Friday evening, Saturday evening into Sunday or your weekly day off work. It doesn’t matter when you do it, but do it and be intentional with it.
Do it with your tribe/your people. With your family, your community, your close friends. “Sabbath-ing” with your people will keep you intentional and focused on what the time is truly set apart for.
Let’s rewind a bit. After coming home from the conference (the one I got super overwhelmed and cried at), I made sure to make the discipline of Sabbath a priority. I took time to reset and remind myself that yup, this season is crazy and work demands a lot of time right now. BUT I can engage in rhythms and practice disciplines that help bring renewal and replenishment to my life.
So, I got up early on my day off. I spent time in the Secret Place. I journaled, meditated and reflected on the week. I thanked God for the good work in my life. I made a yummy breakfast for my family. I enjoyed them and thank God for them. I planned my week and dedicated it to Him. I enjoyed a good book and then took a nap. I played with my kid. I laughed with my husband. I called it an early night and snuggled up with my guy. I was present and aware of the blessings God has given me. I cherished those gifts and celebrated God for giving them to me. I reset and put first things first.
Now it is your turn. Grab your calendar, set apart some time. Gather your people, be intentional with the allotted time. Try it out this week! Let us know how it goes in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!
Until Next Time,
We Are Ecclesia
