Why you should practice Sabbath

Burnout.

Calls, texts, and emails follow us around in our pockets wherever we go.

Money to make, a legacy to leave behind, and always something to accomplish.

The gods of money, productivity, and identity loom at every turn.

So why is the Sabbath still relevant? 

Isn’t it obvious?

The Self-Made Man and Woman

Back in the US, we love the idea of the “Self-Made Man.”

The person who started with nothing and with pure grit and determination built their way up.

It’s what fuels the American Dream, that shining utopian ideal of being able to get whatever you want so long as you’re willing to work for it.

That Dream isn’t a bad thing per se, nor is work, the issue is what we make out of it. 

Long, overextended hours. Bringing work back home with you. Pushing yourself repeatedly just to meet that deadline or get that paycheck.

Many of us end up living for work when we should, instead, be using it as a means to glorify God.

When we fail to do that, when work becomes all-consuming, we go at such a pace that our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health suffers.

That’s why the Sabbath is important.

Sabbath as a Day of Reorientation

I view the Sabbath as a day of reorientation. A 24-hour period in which we stop the usual going ons of the week and intentionally spend time with God in rest. In doing so, we are reminded of His presence in every facet of our lives.

Think about how necessary this reorientation is for today.

Distraction surrounds us at every turn. There’s always work to be done, podcasts to listen to, or new places to visit.

We can easily get swept up in this endless stream of content and output to the point where God’s presence gets muted.

But things change when we take God’s advice (and follow His example) by regularly stopping to be with Him.

When we take that time, we become more peaceful.

We can breathe.

We can remember the love that sustains us through life's heaviness.

Sabbath forces us to stop and reorients us towards what matters most, not our work, not our entertainment, but life with and for Jesus.

But the question remains.

How do we practice the Sabbath?

To that I say, come back tomorrow. And, for now, be blessed.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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