“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy."
-Exodus 20v8-11
Doesn't it seem like there is always something to do? Things get checked off the To-Do List, but then more magically gets added to the list. Work, school, relationships, chores, pay bills, grocery shop, and at some point we need to spend time with God. Psalm 46v10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." Wow, do I wish that God called us to keep going and know that he is God. I’ve got a lot of things to do on my to do list but slowing down is usually not one. To be still? Who has time for that!
It can be easy to pick and choose scripture to justify our actions. When looking at The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, God gives these instructions for His people to live by. These were ways to not just keep order, but to distinguish His people from everyone else. I think when we look at the Scriptures and see verses that we don't apply to our lives, we play the comparison game. Why are we so quick to say, "Well, I might not keep Sabbath, but at least I haven't murdered anyone? Yes, I work a lot, but I could be spending my time in worse ways? At least I'm not cheating on my wife or spending every night at the bar?" We live in a culture that prides itself on accomplishment. We use the excuse that we can rest when we are dead. Rest is not just a suggestion, but a commandment. Not only is it required of us, it is good for us! Sabbath is the practice of intentionally resting from the routine rhythms of work and finding fulfillment in the presence of God.
God has called us to experience his presence in Sabbath moments. When we rest, we aren’t just modeling his behavior, but we are living into who he created us to be. In the film (appropriately named) Sabbath, we are reminded that, “The sabbath is really the day that we remember who we are and remember who God is. It’s the day to renew both our humanity and our purpose in our relation to the whole creation.” God created work, but He also created rest and even goes a step further to model it for us. Resting in the presence of and living into who He created us to be draws us closer to Him. Pete Scazzero says, "The essence of being in God’s image is our ability, like God, to stop. We imitate God by stopping our work and resting. If we can stop for one day a week, or for mini-Sabbaths each day (the Daily Office), we touch something deep within us as image bearers of God.” Sabbath helps us fully live into the person God created us to be and helps us reflect His image in our lives.
When we don't do this, we instead are just living into the hurried patterns of the world. As a pastor, I used the excuse for many years that I was unable to take a Sabbath because Sundays are my busiest day in the office! It lasted about 8 years until I realized that I was on a path to destruction. My soul was dry, my time was hurried, and my attention was scattered. Those closest to me barely knew me anymore. I wish I could say I knew something needed to change, but it was my family that told me something needed to give - and it couldn't be them anymore. So I started the process with my church to request a Sabbatical. I thought this just be a time for me to switch lists, but it was some of the hardest work I've ever done in my life. With the help of an amazing Sabbatical coach, I was able to realize that my current patterns of ministry were unsustainable, and my patterns of life were unhealthy. I was resting from my work instead of working from a place of rest. My time with God was primarily for getting teaching materials instead of tending to my soul. Work was taking so much of my capacity that I was giving my family the leftovers. Jay helped me develop a more healthy and sustainable pattern of life to balance ministry, my family, and my soul. If not for taking the time to slow down and listen to what God was actually trying to speak to me for a long time, who knows where I would be? Sabbath not only saved my ministry, my marriage, and my mental health. Sabbath saved my life.
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