Seriously, You Need a Day Off!

Taking A Real Day-Off

Keeping Sabbath. What? Okay, we need to get real about taking time off from our highly impacted lives. We’re all running around like crazy people with full calendars and never enough time in the day and it really does have to stop! The level of stress and busyness in one’s day is not to be worn as a badge of honor. Honestly, have you noticed how often conversations revolve around how busy we are?

We all need time out to just be still, to move closer to God, or to experience something life-giving without any other distractions like our normal day-to-day activities that keep us so busy. It’s certainly what I need to do to maintain an even balance in my life and it’s what I’m called to do as a Christian.

Darn, No Chicken Sandwiches or Cheap Home Decor Today!

It’s funny, in my previous church homes, no one ever mentioned Sabbath and I certainly didn’t know anyone that actually kept Sabbath. All Sabbath amounted to for me was a need to remember that both Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-a are closed on Sundays. And isn’t that always the day we crave us some Chick-fil-a?!

So what is Sabbath? It sounds so old-school, right? But a current day application does not have to be old-school. I like how Priscilla Shirer describes Sabbath in this video promoting her Bible study titled Breathe. I’m hoping to have the opportunity to participate in this study at some point because I think it’s such an important concept for Christians to grasp onto and apply.

No Sticky Stickler Sabbath Rules

And you don’t have to be a stickler about your Sabbath “rules”. Just decide what you consider to be “work” and avoid that on your Sabbath. And it doesn’t have to happen on Sunday. It should be a set day within each of your weeks (no deviation) and you plan ahead for it. Get everything off of your plate before your Sabbath begins and then just relax! Again, find something, anything, to do that is life-giving. Warren and I start Sabbath at 6:00 PM Saturday evenings and it ends at 6:00 PM Sunday evenings. We go to church on Sunday mornings but the rest of the time we are studying the Bible, reading, praying, napping, watching an uplifting movie, spending time with family, going for a hike, or going for a ride and discovering new roads we haven’t yet traveled. Oh and staying unplugged has been a real treat for us; talk about life-giving!

So there are modern day adaptations of keeping the Sabbath. And remember, it’s a gift from God! During the most stressful time of our home renovation, we dedicated ourselves to keeping the Sabbath. This was during a time when every free moment was spent working on the house and that was all done around running two businesses! At first, it seemed as though it would be impossible to give up such precious time but even the very first day we honored the Sabbath, it was such a tremendous relief to us! It was us giving ourselves the “Okay” to just rest. I dare you to try it, just once and see and feel the difference it makes in your life!

It’s Important Enough To Make It Happen!

Keeping the Sabbath isn’t just about following a commandment from God, it’s about our well-being, our relationships (most importantly, our relationship with God), and our sound mind. God knows us, He made us, He knows we need a day of rest. God, more than anyone, knows our hearts and what we need. So give yourself a break, give yourself a day off. It’s okay, God will keep the earth revolving and all will be well with your soul!

In Christ,
Shelley