God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation. Genesis 2:3
Rest.
It’s not something we’re really good at.
One of the reasons I decided to write this week’s Uplift ahead of time is so that I could actually rest. Take time to disconnect, to stop the work I’ve been doing.
It’s rare that we do this.
I was at a conference earlier this year and a speaker there reminded us that Sabbath was a weekly practice in the early church that we have somehow gotten away from, and she said that she felt cheated. Of all the practices in the early church to have gotten away from, the one we might possibly need the most is Sabbath.
And it’s the one commandment we kind of brush off quickly – we breeze by it, when by its very definition it’s asking us to dwell there.
How often do you rest?
I mean really really rest?
In this culture we place value on people by their productivity.
We believe rest is for the sick or for babies and elderly.
People who can’t contribute or produce.
Maybe you read that and think that’s not you, but this is how our culture operates.
And let’s be honest, Sabbath is definitely countercultural.
So what does Sabbath look like?
What does it mean to “observe the Sabbath?”
I think most of us assume that Sabbath means we do nothing.
Literally nothing.
And I don’t know about you, but that does not sound awesome.
At all.
In fact, sitting doing nothing makes me want to crawl out of my skin.
So you can imagine how happy I was to learn that Sabbath doesn’t mean you do nothing, but instead means you do nothing out of obligation.
Sabbath means you only do things that give you life.
Things that remind you of who you are and whose you are.
So Sabbath looks different for everyone.
For some people cooking is a CHORE and they will happily hand that task over to someone else for the day –
But for others, like myself, cooking for people I love is one of the ways I show I love them, and I often find myself wanting to cook and bake when I have more time.
Sabbath.
Sabbath is about saying yes to the things that remind you of you.
Sitting and doing nothing? No thanks.
Doing things that help me be more who I was created to be? Yes please.
So try it.
Take a full day.
From sleep to sleep.
And do only things that bring you life.
Do only things that help you be you.
Rest.
Relax.
Cook.
Read.
Bake.
Be in nature.
Meditate.
Nap.
Snuggle.
Watch a movie.
Skip rocks.
Go on an adventure.
Then let me know what you experienced. #teamupliftsabbath
And for those of you who say you don’t need it, or that you have too much to do –
Listen –
Even GOD, the creator of the universe, took a day off.
And last I checked, even though you’re all pretty awesome,
none of you are quite at the level of God.
So if God can take a day off, then so can you.
All your crazy will still be there when you get back.
But I promise, PROMISE, you’ll be better equipped to handle it.