Entering into the Gift of Sabbath

I’m often asked what Sabbath looks like for me. Though I have a book with Sabbath in the subtitle, this does not mean that I’m always a master of Sabbath. It continues to be a practice I’m growing in and learning to receive as the gift that it is. 

A while back, I read something Rob Bell wrote about Sabbath that was very helpful to me: 

“Sabbath is taking a day a week to remind myself that I did not make the world and that it will continue to exist without my efforts.

Sabbath is a day when my work is done, even if it isn’t.

Sabbath is a day when my job is to enjoy. Period.

Sabbath is a day when I am fully available to myself and those I love most.

Sabbath is a day when I remember that when God made the world, he saw that it was good.

Sabbath is a day when I produce nothing.

Sabbath is a day when at the end I say, ‘I didn’t do anything today,’ and I don’t add, ‘And I feel so guilty.’

Sabbath is a day when my phone is turned off, I don’t check my email, and you can’t get a hold of me.”* 

I was reading this on a three-day retreat that was a Sabbath-like space in the midst of a very busy season of ministry. As I reflected on these words, these were the insights God was bringing to mind and heart: 

Our lives and the work of Unhurried Living does not cease because I step away like this. You are at work even when I rest. 
It doesn’t help when I pressure myself to be productive, efficient or active. These are the wrong rulers by which to measure Sabbath. Sabbath is for rest, not work. 
The work of my Sabbath spaces is to enter into joy. I haven’t always found it easy to simply enjoy the life I already have. A good question for my Sabbath is, “What would I enjoy doing (or not doing) with God today? 
Sabbath isn’t just a solitary day. It’s a day to be available to both myself and those near me. It’s a day to simply receive the gift of relationship. 
Sabbath is a day to see. I can let God’s Spirit show me how to keep my eyes open to the good that surrounds me. 
Setting Sabbath goals isn’t probably my best move. It activates my productivity meter. Sabbath is a day to let that rest. 
I can resist the temptation to guilt. Sabbath is a gift to be received. I am not being measured for getting the most out of it. 
It’s always good when I go digitally quiet on my Sabbath days. 

Is there one of these insights about Sabbath that sounds especially important for you to try on or make a more consistent element of your own weekly resting? 

*Rob Bell. Velvet Elvis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005, p. 117-18.

 

Photo by David Hellmann on Unsplash