"Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God." On this day no one in your household is to do any work (Deuteronomy 5:12-14).
Working for six days and then resting on the seventh was extremely important to God. Of all the ways he could have communicated this to his people, he put it on the Ten Commandments. He literally carved it into stone. This isn't the only place there's a pattern of work for six and rest on the seventh, either. In Leviticus chapter 25 there's a command that "for six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself, and for your male and female slaves and for your hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you, and for your cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall be for food" (vs. 3-7).
It is easy to get caught up in a "need" to work. It's easy to think there will be less stress if you spread it out.
Guess what? You have six days to do what needs to get done.
I know it's tempting to say, "I finished all my work for today." As a student, it's extremely tempting to stop doing homework for the day when I've finished everything for tomorrow.
But over the past two years I made an intentional effort to keep the Sabbath and actually, truly rest one day out of the week. For me, I Sabbath on Saturday and work on Sunday. By the time Friday comes around I'm exhausted and I can't go one step further. Trying to do any work on a Saturday is like trying to pull teeth out of cat's mouth. It doesn't sound fun and it's a lot more work than it needs to be.
So what does it look like to Sabbath? It can be a lot of things. What rejuvenates you? What brings you closer to God? If it's going on a peaceful walk, go on a peaceful walk. If you need to spend the day alternating between having quiet fun and napping, do that. If you need to intentionally make plans to go somewhere to tune into God's presence in your life, do that. Let that be your Sabbath. I've heard of some people who Sabbath from 6 pm on a Friday night until 6 pm on a Saturday. For them, it doesn't need to be a day. It just needs to be a 24 hour period. I've heard of others who Sabbath by intentionally worshiping God through the ways he's wired them to have fun. They go on adventures, such as hikes or white water rafting and enjoy God's creation because it brings them rest and decreases their stress levels.
I'm not going to tell you how to observe the Sabbath. I am going to encourage you to take the chance of setting aside a day. Work hard to get what you need to do done, and then take a day. Trust that God is going to help you have the time you need and the focus you need to use the time you have well.
If this is a new idea, let me know what you have questions about. I'd love to help you puzzle through this. Observing the Sabbath is an act of rest and an act of trust, putting your time in God's hands and allowing you to spend intentional time listening to what he has to say. You may be amazed what would happen if you do that every week.
J. J. Hanna is a writer and reader who loves God and wants to help encourage others with what she knows and what she's learning. Answer her questions with a quick note and connect with her on social media. She's excited to hear from you!