Cultivating Sabbath Rhythms in Daily Life
There is something so valuable about intentional cultivation. Just as a farmer invests his time, talent, and treasure into producing a fruitful harvest from his field, so we must also see our lives worthy of cultivation. If we take our time to sit at the feet of those who live fruitful lives, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of those whose lives they touch, we will recognize something central to who they are; their investment matches their desired outcome. They cultivate rhythms that are life-giving and produce fruitful rewards.
Sabbath-keeping rhythms do not just happen by coincidence. They are forged by surrender, by patience, by grace. Cultivating rhythms are birthed from those willing to sacrifice for the sake of receiving the wholeness that God has for them, versus the shallow counterfeit that the world so gladly offers. When I think back to my first Sabbath, I see a spark of what it meant to refine a practice. Whether you are just arriving at the concept of Sabbath rhythms or have been on this journey for some time, we all must recognize that cultivation takes more than a casual thought or application. When we choose to cultivate any rhythm in our life, we know that it will often be messy, imperfect, and discontented. At times messy feelings arise out of mere exhaustion as we do the hard work of transitioning from an overwhelmed life that lacks margin, to a life that flows like a steady river of peace and rest. But we must remember that a flowing river of peace and rest will not come by our hustle, it can only come by the hands of the one who created us to be whole, Jesus.
The Delight of Sabbath Rhythm
Sabbath rhythms took time to develop. Sabbath is not a benefit to our life like exercise or eating right. Although both offer holistic benefits to our bodies, they do not carry the elements of transformation quite in the same way that Sabbath rhythms do. As we explored in my previous posts, Sabbath was meant to be transformational beyond just ourselves. Our Sabbath rhythms affect the communities we belong to, the people we come into contact with and even the way that we spend our time and money. Sure, our lives will experience some major changes, but I found the greatest change in my life has been my relation to all that God has created. For example, before Sabbath rhythms, my weekends looked one of two ways. It was full of activity. Sometimes that activity was filled with catching up on work or birthday parties and activities with friends (both good things). At other times, it was filled with absolutely nothingness. That included pajamas, junk food, and lots of television. Not necessarily a bad Saturday, but not restful. Both of these Saturdays are an average way to spend the weekend for most people. But Sabbath rhythms exposed what was missing in these seemingly good Saturdays, delight. Delight is defined as “a sense of joy and pleasure, experienced especially through achievements or relationships.”[1] Psalm 34:7 admonishes us to,
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (ESV).[2]
When we delight, we receive something quite different in return, than when we simply fill our time with things. We are given the desires of our hearts when we choose to delight ourselves in the Lord. Delighting in the Lord is not a matter of being robots, it is a place of trust and safety. This does not happen when we simply show up to Sabbath, but when we accept the invitation to delight in the things that God delights in. What does that look like, you ask? Let’s take a moment to search the Scriptures to discover what God delights in.
Psalm 104:31 tells us that God delights in his works. Deuteronomy 30:9-10 declares that God delights over his people. Proverbs 11:1 announces the delight that God feels over justice. Matthew 3:17 reveals his delight over his Messiah, Jesus. The Bible goes on and on about the things that delight God (as well as what breaks his heart). If we are to find delight in the Sabbath, then we must delight in the things he delights in. Why? Because that is the very essence of union with our Creator! Therefore, as we lean into Sabbath rhythms, we lean into his heart. That is where we will find the true meaning of the Sabbath.
It Was Not Always Like This!
Before my family began to implement any Sabbath rhythms, I found myself at that crossroads I spoke of before. I had reached year four of a chronic nerve condition that required daily medication, usually limiting my ability to simply be myself. At that point, I was praying desperately for a reprieve from what felt like a dark cloud that refused to leave me. It all came to a head when I had to travel across the country for a work conference. The experience was devastating but eye-opening. I found myself having multiple breakdowns and panic attacks. Sure, I was doing great things, but inside, I had run out of air. My every thought was filled with anxiety. Things had gotten so bad that my husband would have to pick me and our children up because I was too panicked to drive. Even more, I was embarrassed and unsure of how or why I had gotten to this place.
One day, I cried out to God asking, “How did I get HERE?” What he spoke gently to my heart was not what I wanted to hear, but what I needed so desperately to hear, “you need my rest.” At that moment, I had no idea what sleep had to do with my constant feelings of dread and panic. But in his gentleness and kindness, he continued to speak to my fractured reality, piece by piece. He began to place people in my life who could walk alongside me. He began to highlight different books and tools that could bring clarity to what I was feeling. But even more, he revealed himself to be the place where I could not only catch my breath but gain more breathing room. This is where it began for our family, with me. With my broken places. With my fractured and desperate plea to feel how I was confident that God created me to feel. I knew that I did not just want to feel better, I wanted to be whole!
From Legalism to Delight
I am a strong believer in the idea that home is the place where we begin our growth. Home is the place where we can be ourselves. It is where our family, the people who love us most, dwell. But it can also be the place where many feel the most stress or discontentment. This is why I believe the Sabbath makes its first encounter with us here.
I often get asked how my family first established Sabbath rhythms in our home. Allow me to give you an honest response, it was not delightful at first. A little while back I shared how Sabbath-keeping can be messy at first. Our tendency to establish new rhythms brings us face-to-face with our tendency towards legalism. Legalism is an excessive concern for all of the details of what we believe to be the law.[3] This excessive concern causes us to live lives that are obsessed with “getting it right” as if our union with God depends solely on us. I am grateful for passages of Scripture that remind us of the truth, that we are only justified by the works of Christ, and not our own (Gal. 2:16). Our journey began like any other journey, as a process. Over time, we began to discern God’s intentions of the Sabbath for his people. We started to learn that it was less about what we were doing right and wrong. And more about what God wanted to teach and reveal to us through the journey. And I am grateful for the voices of those who are authentic about what Sabbath-keeping does in us as it strips away our attachment to this world, and prepares us to embrace the eternity that awaits us.
If you gain anything at all from all of this, my hope is that it is the understanding that there is grace within keeping a Sabbath. How it looks from season to season, varies just as each individual does. Hear me out, I do think we must use biblical principles and wisdom when implementing any Sabbath. Legalism waits at the door of our hearts to impose laws upon us. But the grace that God offers is an invitation to establish Sabbath rhythms that breathe life into who we are, our values, and how we impact the world around us. And so, even as I share how my family implements the Sabbath, see it as the rhythm it is for our family in this season. It will change when our season does. But our hearts to accept God’s invitation and gift will remain our destination no matter what it looks like.
Establishing Sabbath Rhythms at Home, Work, and Beyond
Our family keeps a Sabbath every Friday through Saturday, sunset to sunset. During that time, we begin with prayer and the lighting of our Sabbath candle that signifies to everyone that we are in our place of Sabbath, the place where we are aware of God’s presence in a unique way from every other day of the week. It is set apart and kept as our time with the Lord. We often have a meal prepared in advance with a dessert that we cannot wait to get our hands on! We sit, feast, laugh, tell stories, ask questions, and just dwell together. During this period, we do not have a clock determining how long we are to sit. We choose a technology Sabbath so that we can instead focus on what is right in front of us.[4] Instead, we simply dwell with each other. Sometimes this leads to a game, listening to music, or exploring our own planned activities. Before the end of the night, my husband and I share a bottle of wine that we hand-picked the day before to share this evening. At bedtime, we pray together, and my husband and I spend time together. The next morning, there may be a prepared breakfast, or I cook a feast for everyone. The day can look like sitting and being together, spending time in the world, or swimming at the beach with friends. At sunset, we gather around for dinner, and we close out the Sabbath the same way it began, in prayer and thanksgiving.
The beauty that we discovered is that every Sabbath looks different, but the goal is the same, grace-filled delight. We always prepare our Sabbath on Thursdays to allow our minds and hearts to slow down in anticipation of what the Sabbath brings. We do not always feel prepared. We do not always finish all of the things we had planned for the week for school or work, nevertheless, we always cease from those things. Not because they are bad, but because our priority is rest and delight. As we close out our Sabbath, we look forward to living from the gift that the Sabbath gives us. We look forward to God’s goodness filling our everyday and activity. Most importantly, we accept that he is not after our perfection of applying the Sabbath, but our intentionality to invite him into it. That may look like ordering out before the Sabbath or preparing meals together. It may include game time for your family, or it may be reading a book in the garden. No matter how you or your family chooses to establish Sabbath rhythms, accept the grace that God gives. Allow him to establish those rhythms in a way that breathes life into you and your family.
Commit to the Sabbath
One question I get asked more than any other is, “How can I keep a Sabbath if I work?” My answer is simple, pray and then choose to. I believe that the grace that is available to us is not restrictive but invitational. There are times when our lives do not allow a twenty-four-hour period to keep a Sabbath. In those times, we commit to the time that we do have! Nowadays we are limited by the differences in our schedules and availability. That is when we commit to the time that we do have. Maybe that is five hours of delighting in union with God and one another until you can do twenty-four. And you know what, God is big enough to permeate the time you commit to him. And the rest of your week will be filled with the beauty of what took place in those five hours. Every single person must commit their Sabbath to the Lord. How one person keeps the Sabbath may look completely different than you. And that is OK! The goal is not competition, but commitment to choosing to delight and rest over what this world has to offer. The result is a transformed disposition to live after the pattern of God’s design versus what makes sense to the world around us.
~Natasha
Notes:
[1] Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 37:4.
[3] Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).
[4] Lisa Naas Cook, "Restoring a Rhythm of Sacred Rest in a 24/7 World: An Exploration of Technology Sabbath and Connection to the Earth Community," The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society 5, no. 4 (2015): 17, https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/restoring-rhythm-sacred-rest-24-7-world/docview/2794043361/se-2.