Seven Steps to Save Your Sabbath

On Monday’s blog, we talked about the importance of Sabbath. While it’s easy to understand what it is and why it’s important, it can be a lot harder to actually Sabbath every week. That’s why I’ve put together some pointers that I’ve learned from others and discovered for myself over the past couple weeks. I’m definitely still a work-in-progress myself, so please know that I’m learning with you! Now, let’s talk seven ideas that will help you SABBATH.

Slow Down

You have a whole entire day to rest, so take your time! Don’t worry about waking up to an alarm or planning things out to the minute. Let time flow without overthinking it. There’s no need to rush through your Sabbath. While it’s a good idea to set a goal or two, don’t be stressed when the day doesn’t look exactly how you planned. Sabbath isn’t a schedule; it’s a day to just exist and be in relationship with God and your loved ones. So take a nap, spend more time in your Bible than you usually do, go on a longer walk. Take time to press pause and recenter.

This is Toby! He sure knows how to slow down and rest well. Don’t be afraid to crawl into your favorite box and take a nap or two if you need it. Toby would be proud!

Accept That Every Sabbath is Different

No two Sabbaths will look the same. So don’t worry about comparing your day with someone else’s. We’re all different and we all get rest in different ways. There is no right or wrong way to Sabbath, so don’t turn it into a competition or comparison game.

It’s also important to remember that all of your Sabbaths will look different as well. It’s not about going through a check list, but just spending your day in the way that you need to. If your week involved lots of sitting behind a desk, maybe this Sabbath will consist of some exercise. But if you spend the next week running around and are physically exhausted, the next Sabbath could just be you, God, and your favorite book.

It’s also important to remember that your Sabbath doesn’t need to be on a Sunday or even a weekend. Pick a day that works best for your weekly schedule and give it to God.

For some people, going to church on their Sabbath is restful and helps them spend time with God and their community. For others, especially those amazing people who help run the church service, Sundays are basically another work day and not a great day for rest. Don’t feel like you can only rest on the weekends. Your Sabbath can be any day of the week!

Be Still and Silent

If you want to hear what someone’s saying, you need to give them time to talk and listen when they speak up. This is absolutely the case with God. If you want to grow your relationship with Him and get to know Him better, you’ll have to make time for Him to speak. Don’t let silence scare you (it sure doesn’t scare God). Make time on your Sabbath to just sit and listen to what He has to say. You could come equipped with a few questions to ask Him or you could just see where He takes your thoughts. If you don’t hear from Him, don’t be discouraged! Listening takes time and practice.

Sometimes it takes a big red sign to remind us to just stop and let God be God.

Balance – Find It

As with everything else, there needs to be a balance with your Sabbathing. This is especially true if you’re still learning how to do it. For those of us who have never Sabbathed before (I’m totally with all of you), we need to be patient with ourselves as we learn this new lifestyle. Resting in this way requires a big mental shift. You have to unlearn everything you’ve been taught about productively and the importance of a packed and busy schedule. Be gentle with yourself and don’t be too harsh when it comes to mistakes. If you’ve never taken a day off before, start with a Sabbath that only lasts a few hours. You can work your way up to a whole day.

On the other hand, make sure that you’re pushing your comfort zone. Don’t be content to accept the lukewarm rest that the world offers. Push yourself to get the best Sabbath that God has planned for you!

I love to spend extra time in the Word on my Sabbath. I also like to space out my reading throughout the day. This helps me to read more without feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or rushed.

Allow Your Friends to Join

Sabbath isn’t just about getting alone time or hanging out with God, it’s also about building community. You can absolutely Sabbath with your friends and family! Take prayer walks together, talk about what you read in Scripture, play games, have a coloring night, set up a neighborhood volleyball match, cook with your roommates, go stargazing. If it brings you rest and builds community, do it!

I think I just heard a sigh of relief from all my extroverted friends, but if you’re an introvert like me, don’t panic! Keep an eye on your social meter and remember that today is about getting rest for yourself. If you need a Sabbath that is just you and God, that’s totally fine! But don’t limit yourself by just being alone every week. It’s also totally fine to leave a get-together early or realize halfway through a card game that you aren’t actually resting. Push your comfort zone, but don’t be afraid to step away when you need to.

Fun fact: When you sit between your friends in a hammock it feels like a giant hug. 10/10 would recommend.

Take a Breath

Check in with yourself. Being in tune with yourself is really important and can be a challenge when you have a packed schedule. Sabbath is a great day to assess how you’re doing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Take some time to see how you’re doing in each area of your life and what areas you need to focus on this particular Sabbath. Evaluate how you can have little pockets of Sabbath throughout the week.

One of my favorite places to do this is by going into God’s creation with Him. There’s something super calming and restful about spending time in nature.

Have Fun

God isn’t all about work and rules; He wants us to have fun! He gave us all the blessings in our life for a reason and He wants us to enjoy His gifts and His creation. Sabbath isn’t about legalistically sitting in a room and doing nothing. You should be enjoying your rest day and looking forward to it each week. Do something fun on Sabbath!

Card games are a team favorite over here! They’re a great way to have fun and bond with your friends, especially on Sabbath!

I hope these tips will help you get started on your Sabbath journey! I’ve been taking off Sundays to rest for the past couple weeks and it has been amazing! I’m definitely not perfect at it yet and have had to give myself plenty of grace as I figure this whole this out.

I would love to hear about your Sabbath experiences! If you’re a pro at Sabbathing, please share what you’ve learned in the comments. I would love to get some more tips from you. If this is your first time joining the Sabbath Club, let me know how it went. Was it easy for you? What are you planning to do differently next Sabbath? What was the biggest challenge for you?

 Thanks for reading and for praying with me! We’re still in quarantine, so please join us in praying for our community. Even though we can’t actually go out and interact with them physically, we can still love on them from afar with prayer.