Why does it feel like the years are getting shorter while our days are long as we continuously  ingest news, social media, and entertainment? Instead of Fresh Prince’s “chillin' out, maxin', relaxin', all cool...” we are, “stressed out, maxed out, don’t know how to relax, not cool." Our attention spans are shorter while our to-do lists, needs, and exhaustion grow by the day. 

There is a way that we can reclaim our days, our families, our schedules, and well, sanity through a gift called “sabbath." You have most likely heard the word before, but I want to share some practical ways that you can begin implementing this gift in the days ahead.
 
Sabbath, meaning “to rest”, is a holy and biblical concept. It stems from the Jewish Sabbath (“shavat”) and is observed throughout the year on the seventh day of the week—Saturday.  
 
Many of us are not Jewish, but the principle can still apply and be a gift in our lives. We can still participate in this holy rest and not only be replenished but also get to know the Lord in new ways. 

I am a firm believer that the pace of life many of us fly at is not how we were meant to live. John Mark Comer in his new book, Practicing the Way, highlights the idea that reflecting Christ in our daily lives isn’t just bearing the fruit of the Spirit, but it also involves living how Jesus lived, which happened to be at a slower pace. He points to the fact that Jesus, in his earthly life, was never in a hurry and was also quick to get away to be with the Father, to rest… to sabbath. To simplify. Do you desire to get closer to Christ and reflect Him to others? It makes sense then that a practice to implement regularly is rest. 

But what does that look like and how is that even possible? 

First, we need to take a good hard look at our calendars and decide what’s going to be punted, because Sabbath is a weekly rhythm where a set time is committed to resting. It’s suggested that this Sabbath period is a full 24-hour period, but because rest is such an untrained muscle, it might be something that needs to be built towards.
 
You could break practicing sabbath into steps:

1. Start with one evening of Sabbath (ex: Saturday, 6-10pm). Put the phone away and do things that recharge you, fill your soul, and connect you to God.

2. Expand it to 12 hours (ex: Saturday from 6pm - Sunday at 6am). Have a bbq with friends, connect with your kids, spouse, family, or friends in an undistracted way. 

3. Lastly, you could go for the full 24 hour sabbath. Go for a long walk, put away devices, take a nap. I learned that sabbath isn’t a time to catch up on groceries, chores, errands, or things of the like. It is a time to delight in God and the things He has made.

You can jump right into a 24-hour period if you want, but I think we as humans jump from 0 to 60 on things and then wonder why we couldn’t keep up the practice. Help yourself create the habit by starting small if needed.

We’ve explored what sabbath is and how we can engage with it, but maybe we still need to answer the question of why it’s important for our lives. For those who have families, I think it’s a way that those family units can be strengthened and encouraged. It feels like a small way to keep the world at bay for just a few hours while you build connection and relationship. For singles, I believe it’s a way to strengthen identity, be creative, connect with Jesus (and friends), and let the weight of the world wash away for a little bit, allowing God to tell you who you are rather than social media. For the individual person no matter your family status, it may just be the breath you need to know who God is and who you were created to be, to clear your mind, or to deal with some things that have been in your life queue.
 
Sabbath doesn’t have to be intimidating or intense. To simplify our schedules for even a few hours so we can pray, know God better, get into the Word, have real human connection, sit in the backyard and listen to the sounds happening around us… might allow our souls to delight in a way that we didn’t even know we longed for, and it just might take back some of the time that seems to be escaping us.