What does Sabbath Mean? What is it?

I have been reading about and studying Sabbath for a few years now. This whole idea is so countercultural and radically different from what our society holds as important. The rebel in me loves to be a bit different and do something that most people consider odd.

I also love doing a deep dive into a topic. Sabbath has been one of those topics for me. It has helped me revive my love of biblical learning and application. It is like a shiny object that I want to look at from as many angles as possible.

What does Sabbath look like from this perspective?

How can I apply what I am learning about Sabbath in this new area?

So, let’s dive into it. I will share my practical thoughts and then some resources to help you in your Sabbath journey.

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We are not called to work all week and then earn our rest. That is backwards thinking. We are to rest in who God is, who we are, and then live the other six days from that place of acceptance. I have heard the Genesis creation story so many times that I have failed to see the details of how things happened.

Adam and Eve’s first day on Earth as newly created beings was a Sabbath. It was a day of rest for God and for His creation.

“Now imagine how Adam felt on the first Sabbath. Humans were fashioned on the sixth day, which means when Adam first opened his eyes, he was looking at Sabbath and rest. Sabbath was his baseline. His first moment.” [To Hell with the Hustle by Bethke]

Sabbath: “sab’-ath (shabbath, shabbathon; sabbaton, ta sabbata; the root shabhath in Hebrew means “to desist,” “cease,” “rest”): The Sabbath was the day on which man was to leave off his secular labors and keep a day holy to Yahweh.” (from Blue Letter Bible article)

The heart of Sabbath is REST and RESTORATION.

How you choose to do that can be unique to you and your lifestyle. We get to add in our personality, our household situation, and work schedules.

What if Sabbath was not about a specific list of what to do but about the mindset you have?

What makes you feel like yourself?

• What makes you come alive?
• What makes you feel like you have been transported back in time to your “junior high self”?
• Who were you as a kid?  What kinds of things did you enjoy?
• What did you like to spend time on if you had a whole Saturday free with no obligations? 

[I love how this is phrased from Kindra Adachi from the Lazy Genius podcast and now bestseller book – from p.175] 

But the hard part of Sabbath is making space for it. Think of a big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. What do you think about to make those days successful? There are a lot of pieces. To make that holiday happen we must prepare ahead of time. Sabbath is the same way. That is why I am still learning how to do this practice.

The day that you choose to rest can be what works for your schedule. The key is to choose a day. Set aside a time each day for rest. Choose seasons of slowing down. We are not made to go at full speed for long periods of time.

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So, where are you feeling stuck?

My Sabbath book stack keeps growing over time. Below are some titles that I have read, enjoyed, found helpful, and continue to reference for ideas.

If you are not sure where to start I recommend reading this article: 5 Ways to Find Rest (from an Overachiever)

My Book List by Topic

The Sabbath Basics:

• Why is Sabbath important?
• Who needs Sabbath?
• What does it mean to create solitude and silence?

      Read This =

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by Comer
• To Hell with the Hustle by Bethke
• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Scazzero

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Creating Margin:

• I do not know how to create space in my schedule!
• How do I budget my time?
• Where do I say “no” and where do I push myself to say “yes”?
• What can I do so that I am not feeling constantly overloaded?

Read This =

• Margin by Swenson
• Essentialism by McKeown

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Examples of Sabbath in application:

• What does it practically look like?
• How does the average person make space for this practice?
• What are some systematic changes I can make?

Read This =

• Rhythms of Rest by Miller
• The Common Rule by Earley

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Also here is a quick guide to Sabbath from our Pastor Robert Watson. He is hilarious and very practical.

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Practical Questions about Sabbath

I encourage you to stop and take time to journal about these questions. Discover what Sabbath means to you and what baggage you carry with this practice. To move forward you need to know where you actually are right now.

• What have you read about Sabbath?
• How would you define it?
• Do you think that Sabbath is a dusty old practice only grandmas have time for?
• What traditions and family patterns have you experienced on the weekends?
• When you think about rest do you think about Sabbath or a vacation?
• Can you picture an oxen yoke being something that you want to carry? What does that even mean? Why do people always talk about ancient farm equipment? (bible verse: Matt 11:28-30)
• Is there something wrong with productivity and getting things done?
• Who do you want to spend your restful time with?
• Did Jesus ever take time off or observe the Sabbath?
• Does God really care what I do on the weekends? Or is that just weird religious people who do?

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I think one of the reasons I find Sabbath and rest so fascinating is that my natural bent is so far away from that. My natural tendencies lean into production, business, and moving tasks forward.

So if you have come here for an expert to offer perfected advice, I can not give you that. But I can show you what it is like to be learning. I can share how to apply something that I find difficult. To be a beginner even after 3 years of trying to apply this principle of rest to my life.

Here on this blog, I share some discoveries and failures in the articles I write. I will ask you the same questions that I write in my journal. The things I ask myself on an exhausted Monday afternoon…

In sharing what I am doing, I hope that you will find something to try in your own home.

May you have a restful weekend and a beautiful week! – April

P.S. – I would love to hear from you what you are learning about Sabbath and finding rest!

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Photos are from: Sixteen Miles Out,  Toa Heftiba, Maria Vojtovicova, Jessica Lewis, on Unsplash

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