Sabbath
- The Narrow Path
- Nov 17, 2023
- 3 min read
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished from the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Genesis 2:1-3, NIV).
Life can be busy, and certainly stressful at times. Many of us run at breakneck speed throughout the week, and then we head into weekends where our schedules are filled with sports, social activities, and maybe trying to squeeze in time for some rest.
Admittedly, I haven’t always been the best at self-care. Caring for ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is multi-faceted, and can feel a bit overwhelming at times.
How do we find time for “self-care” when we’re barely keeping our heads above water? Many times we’re just treading water, hoping someone will throw us a life raft to give us a break from the exhausting day-to-day. But Jesus never intended life to be this way.
God’s intention for creation was to sabbath, or rest, from our work. Genesis 2:1-3 says: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished from the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
I’ve really been thinking a lot about sabbath lately, which is a Hebrew word that simply means to rest. Over the last several years I have begun to dive deeper into what it means to really experience holy rest, which, to me, is anything that draws us into deeper intimacy with Jesus.
Instead of focusing on “self-care”, what if we shifted our focus to sabbath instead? It doesn’t have to be the seventh day of the week, a Sunday, or even an entire day. We do need to be intentional to seek periods of time in our schedule for resting, just as God modeled for us since the beginning of time.
I think we’re all guilty of keeping ourselves busy in order to avoid the emotions that we don’t really want to deal with. Make a never-ending to-do list so we don’t have to pause and think about how lonely we’ve been. Over schedule in order to avoid sitting in the quiet with Jesus to face the fear we’ve been walking through.
What if we asked ourselves this question today: What is the busyness really about?
As I have come to know God more through prayer, reading His word, and counseling, sabbath has become a priority. It might require saying no to something I’d really enjoy doing just so I can rest in the presence of Jesus. But it is worth it.
Sabbath doesn’t have to look a specific way. Sitting quietly in the presence of Jesus. Cleaning while listening to worship music. Stealing away to take a hot shower and talk to the Lord. Whatever it looks like, just show up. Quiet your mind, and give Jesus the opportunity to speak to your heart.
The more we invest in filling our own cups through spending time with Jesus, He is what sustains us so that we can continue to pour out to others. I believe this is what holy rest, or sabbath, is intended for.
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