Thanks for taking a moment to push pause with me as we seek beauty and rest in our everyday lives. If you’re not already, you can subscribe below to have this weekly email delivered straight to you inbox.
When my days are busy and I’m moving from an appointment, to unloading the groceries, to prepping dinner, to responding to emails, it’s easy to forget my physical thirst. I always have a cup of water nearby but in my flurry of movement I forget to stop and take a drink until all at once I pause and realize I’m desperate for water. I notice my thirst and then it’s all I can think about until it’s quenched.
Last week we scratched the surface on the topic of sabbath and like our physical thirst for water, our thirst for the deep gladness that sabbath can bring often goes overlooked in our busyness and daily tasks. Choosing the way of sabbath requires us to name our thirst to then take action and drink from the fount of God’s rest that refreshes our spirit.
I recognize that there are many ways different faith traditions practice sabbath or shabbat. Some are rooted in time-honored traditions that are beautiful expressions of a community while for others the practice of sabbath has left a bad taste in your mouth due to the rigid and strict guidelines the day brought in its forced observance. I can only speak from my own background and experience. My words today are more directed to those, like me, who are familiar with the term sabbath but haven’t established a regular practice of keeping sabbath or for those ready to return to sabbath keeping with freedom and not restrictions.
In believing that sabbath is meant for our good, our joy, and our connection to God, I tend to approach the practice of sabbath with a lot of freedom and self-direction. You know your needs and how you best connect with God so I think sabbath should mirror that. While there are some common denominators within sabbath (rest, pursuing beauty and enjoyment, acknowledging the presence of God) how that looks will be based on your own preferences.
In establishing a sabbath practice we can get hung up on the practicalities. What day is best? How do I get my family on board? What will I do? All of those are questions we need to answer but we can do so in freedom knowing the goal is not perfection.
Here is a simple guide to help you in establishing your rhythm of sabbath keeping.
Consider others: If you have roommates or a spouse, sharing expectations and hopes for what the day will look like is important. Likewise, if you have kids include them in the conversation so they see a healthy practice of sabbath modeled and grow to understand and appreciate the day as well. Considering others also helps you be realistic in what your day will be like. Little kids still require care but having a conversation and making sure each person gets time for their own rest will help the day be life-giving for all while honoring each other’s needs.
Set your rhythm: The Jewish tradition observes shabbat from sundown on Friday thru sundown on Saturday and many Christians use Sunday as their sabbath. However, it doesn’t have to be only one of those days. Look at your schedule and choose what works best for you. I would recommend keeping it the same day each week for consistency and as something that you come to look forward to and plan for in your rhythm of work and rest. Since I work for a church, in normal times Sunday mornings are a time of work. When those routines return I will practice sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening because that’s what makes the most sense for me and my family.
Choose your anchors: Instead of making a schedule of how your day will look each week, simply pick 1 or 2 things that help to anchor your day as a time set apart. Choosing something that helps send a signal to your mind and body that this time is special can help establish some rituals and rhythms. For instance, a meal like pizza Friday or Sunday morning pancakes could be a fun way to mark the beginning of your sabbath. Your anchor to sabbath’s beginning could be simply turning off your phone and going for a walk or lighting a candle and reading in bed. It’s something that you can do each week to mark your time and that feels different than the other days of the week.
Ask yourself two questions each week:
What do I need?
What you need may change from week to week. One week you may need to grab drinks with a friend for shared community while another week you might feel the need for more solitude. Pay attention to your body and spirit to make space for the things you need whether that’s a nap, a hike, or ice cream sundaes. Sometimes we just need moments of happiness too. Do the things that will meet the needs you have for joy and rest.
What will help me connect with God?
Part of the beauty of sabbath is to turn our face to our creator and marvel at his good works. We want to connect to the deeper parts of who we are and in turn connect to God. Think about what helps you do that and make space for that. For me this looks like a walk with music that draws me into worship or prayer as well as practicing some quiet reflection.
Prep ahead: Inevitably there are some things to take care of so that you can sink into the satisfaction of rest on the sabbath. Maybe you plan for take-out or a simple meal prepped ahead of time if you don’t want to cook. Make sure the dishwasher is empty so you don’t have to stress over dishes piled at the sink. Or turn off your email notifications to eliminate the pull to respond. Brainstorm a few of your daily pain points and do a little advanced planning to simplify your day.
If you find yourself thirsty for the gift of sabbath I hope those steps for consideration help you begin your own path towards the practice of sabbath keeping.
A Resource
Shelly Miller has wise words to say on the topic of rest and sabbath in her book, Rhythms of Rest.
Sabbath reminds us that we belong because we are already accepted. Rest requires that we be who we are and nothing else. A life built upon sabbath is contented because in rhythms of rest we discover our time is full of the holiness of God.
Sabbath isn’t about resting perfectly, it’s about resting in the one who is perfect.
A Practice
Try practicing sabbath this week using the guiding steps above. Don’t overthink things, just begin. If a whole day feels too daunting try a half day block of time and notice what seemed to work or might need tweaking and do it again next week.
I hope you are doing well in spite of these strange and hard times. Thanks for reading! As always, you can hit reply to this email to share your thoughts with me - Lindsay