Readings for today: Leviticus 22:17-23:44, Mark 9:30-10:12, Psalms 44:1-8, Proverbs 10:19
The first feast of the Lord listed in Leviticus 23 is the Sabbath. One day a week set aside for rest. Hardwired into creation itself, the Sabbath may be the most important and most neglected spiritual discipline of our time. The world runs 24/7. The ubiquity of social media creates an expectation that we must be “on” all the time. Most of us feel like we can’t get away from our work even for an hour much less an entire day. As rates of anxiety and depression rise, accompanied by self-destructive coping mechanisms of self-harm, addiction, and suicide; one must ask the question, is it time to re-commit ourselves to a weekly Sabbath?
I keep a Sabbath. Every Monday I purposefully set aside all my work. I do not answer email. I do not answer phone calls. I do not respond to texts. I am adding a social media fast as well starting this week. I spend time in worship. I spend time talking to my accountability partner of almost twenty years. I spend time reading, resting, relaxing. I go to the gym. I spend time with my kids when they get home from school. We do not schedule any events on Monday evenings if at all possible. This weekly rhythm acts as a “speed bump” in my life, slowing me down on a regular basis.
Are there times when I violate my Sabbath? Yes. If I fail to be diligent and get all my work done in the previous six days. If I’m working on a big project or taking on a new role. If I’m under a significant deadline. However, I try to build in extra rest after those seasons come to an end so I dial life back to a sustainable pace.
My life is busy. I have four teenage children who deserve my time and attention and love. I serve as the senior pastor for a Kingdom-minded church in a community with many needs. I serve as an adjunct professor teaching graduate students about evangelism and mission two semesters every year. I serve as a board member for a growing mission organization that’s doing amazing work in the Horn of Africa. I’ve been given opportunities to serve at different levels of my denomination. It’s a rich and full and beautiful life. Without a Sabbath, I would quickly burn out.
I know your life is busy as well. Work. Family. School. Church. Kid’s activities. I am sure you feel like you barely get through each day. Let me encourage you to master your schedule. To wrest control of your life from the enemy who wants to drive you to exhaustion and burnout. Set aside one day out of every week for Sabbath rest. Turn off your phone. Fast from social media. Create a “no-tech” zone in your life for just 24 hours. Rest. Relax. Take a walk with those you love. Worship. Spend uninterrupted time with God. Let Him renew and restore you for the week ahead. There is no “one” way to keep a Sabbath. The only guidance Scripture gives is worship and rest. Gather with God’s people to give Him the praise He is due and then do whatever you need to do to relax and let your mind and body recover. Keep the Sabbath day, my friends. Your very life depends on it.
Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalms 44:9-26, Proverbs 10:20-21