The Art of Sabbath
Genesis 2:3 – “And 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 walked in to my house the other day only to be overwhelmed by the smell of sunscreen filling my family room. Immediately I remembered my mandate that my kids would apply sunscreen before heading to swim at a friend’s house, but my instructions were clearly incomplete as I should have reminded them to apply sunscreen outside and away from my clean furniture. As I pulled out the mop and prepared to clean up the lingering, sticky, sunscreen, my mind trailed to summer and all the fun we have planned. Camps, Family Vacations, Vacation Bible School, Baseball Games, adventures with friends, and more have already covered the calendar as we launch into the most fun time of the year. Summer is arguably one of the most jam-packed seasons in our home, but every item on the calendar is something we look forward to. Something we find fun. It’s all good stuff!
This morning I was sitting down for my quiet time, and my time with the Lord jolted me with conviction as I read about our command to practice a sabbath. Sometimes I find myself so busy, and my calendar so loaded with ‘stuff’ that I forget to stop and rest. I can even convince myself that because all of the ‘busy’ is kingdom-focused that it’s a ‘holy busy’, but the truth is that nowhere in scripture do we find God telling us that busyness leads to godliness…..instead, God tells us all in Genesis 2 that rest is Holy. Choosing to stop and take a minute to recover is Holy. Practicing a day to sit still and be poured into, rather than pouring out is HOLY.
If I’m honest I have a really hard time sitting still. I love to ‘do’ and to feel like I’ve made a difference with the time in my day. I try hard to fill up every second with intentional conversations, accomplishing kingdom goals, or planning for what’s next. I really struggle to stop, sit, and rest knowing all that is still to do, or all that could be done.
I think that’s why God gives us this command in Genesis 2 to girls like me. He created the entire world, the entire universe down the very details that came with creating Adam and Eve, and after all of that, he stopped to rest. Why? Do we think God was worn out or tired after working hard for those 6 days? No way! God didn’t rest on the 7th day because He needed it – He did it because He knew I needed it. I needed the example to work hard and give my all throughout the week, but then I needed His HOLY example to stop, recover, and rest.
So this summer I’ve decided to make a few changes to my summer fun calendar. We’re still going to play hard and make all kinds of memories. We’re still going to $2 movies and playdates at the park. We’re still going to swim at the pool with friends and cheer on ministry leaders at various camps. …But we’re also going to take some time to rest. We’re going to force ourselves to stop, and my hope is that by the end of the summer, maybe this “Holy planning” will result in a lifestyle that looks a little more like Jesus, and a little less like me.
…Because that’s my hope in all of life. And I know that’s your hope too.