I grew up in church, so observing the Sabbath isn’t a new idea to me. But somewhere along the way, I equated observing the Sabbath with going to church on Sunday and little else. And, even as I have matured in my faith and learned that the Sabbath is more about rest than church attendance, it seemed impossible to Sabbath as a mom with little kids.
I began taking the idea of a Sabbath more seriously after hearing Annie F. Downs talk about it on her podcast and Instagram Stories. (After all, the Sabbath is a commandment, so maybe I shouldn’t have dismissed it so quickly.) What Annie explained so clearly about her own Sabbath ritual was that she spends the day doing things that she considers rest or worship. Her Sabbaths usually involve reading, journaling, visiting friends, exercise and prayer. What she rests from are chores or work-related activities like shopping, social media, email or laundry.
But before we get to how you could apply these ideas to create your own Sabbath, let’s focus on the why behind the command. Why is it important to God that we rest? So much so that he made it one of the Ten Commandments.
Theologian John Piper said about the Sabbath: “‘Keep it holy”‘ means set it aside from all other days as special. Specifically, keep it ‘to the Lord,’ or ‘for the Lord.’ In other words, the rest is not to be aimless rest, but God-centered rest. Attention is to be directed to God in a way that is more concentrated and steady than on ordinary days. Keep the day holy by keeping the focus on the holy God.”
It’s easy to understand why God would want us to devote one day a week to focusing on Him. He knew how easy it would be for all of us to get distracted by busyness. We have exhausting to-do lists, planners full of activities and a million things on our minds.
Part of my morning routine is to spend 15-30 minutes reading my Bible and praying, but then I spend very little time with God the rest of the day. That short time each morning just isn’t enough if I want a Spirit-led life. He needs more of my heart, more of my thoughts, more of my time. Keeping the Sabbath is one way to ensure we have more quality time with Him.
Going to church is important, but I was mistaken in thinking Sabbath stops there. Because it’s easy to go through a church service and never really connect with God at all.
In this season of my life, when noise is constant, I’ve found the best time for me to connect with God is when I’m alone in nature. Something about being surrounded by His creation gives me perspective. I’m reminded of His greatness, His love for me and my love for Him. A couple of months ago, I found a trailhead in our neighborhood that leads into the mountains. Each Sunday morning, I head out early and spend 30-45 minutes climbing the trails, spending time just me and the Lord. These hikes are life to me. I hear His voice clearer and it always calms my busy mind.
Even if you don’t have a mountain in your backyard to hike, you can take a walk your neighborhood, in the woods, or at a park.
But maybe walking isn’t your thing. There are other things you can do to quiet your mind and your coming and going to focus on God and rest. These things will look different for each of us, because different things are restful to each of us and different things draw our hearts to God.
Sabbath Ideas
- Listen to music
- Read your Bible, a book or a magazine
- Spend time in your garden
- Enjoy a hobby like painting, crocheting or coloring
- Take a nap
- Play a game or put together a puzzle with your family
- Put your phone on airplane mode
- Take a road trip or afternoon drive
- Journal
- Pray over your family, your friends and yourself
- Plan the upcoming week
- Eat leftovers or eat out
- Listen to podcasts or audiobooks
- Watch a movie or TV show
These are just ideas, which may or may not resonate with you. To create a Sabbath routine that fits you best, ask yourself these questions:
- When do you feel closest to God? Are you by yourself or with others? Do you have music playing or is it quiet? Are you at home, at church or outdoors? What activities help tune your mind into Him and prepare your heart to hear His voice– listening to music, reading a passage from the Bible, journaling, etc? What time of day is easiest for you to quiet your mind- first thing in the morning, after everyone has gone to bed, etc?
- What activities are restful and restorative to you? Does a nap recharge you? Or maybe reading a book or going for a walk? It may be easier to identify which activities deplete you like cooking or being on your phone. Then avoid doing those things on the Sabbath.
You can use this list of activities to create a Sabbath routine that is customized for you– the way that you were created to worship God and find rest.
The things we do aren’t nearly as important as the result. The whole point of creating a Sabbath ritual is to put habits in place that turn our hearts toward God. The Word promises us that if we draw closer to Him, he will draw closer to us.
I would love to hear from you and whether you practice the Sabbath. Send me an email or leave me a comment on the Defeating Busy Facebook page.
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