To Inspire:

We’ve been working through four practices for unhurrying your life – as recommended by John Mark Comer in his best seller, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. The fourth practice is honoring the Sabbath. I (Matt) believe so strongly in this practice – it’s been a rich blessing in my life. And while this practice reflects a Judeo-Christian world view, I’ll approach it the way Comer does – as a Christian practice – but I strongly believe that any person (faith or no faith) can benefit from this practice.

Comer begins this chapter reflecting on the desires that all of us have – all sorts of desires. We desire to enjoy our families, the beauty around us, healthy friendships, meaningful work, etc. St. Thomas Aquinas once asked the question, “what would satisfy our desires?” His answer – everything. We would have to experience everything and everybody to feel that we’ve satisfied all our desires. And even that would fall short. This feeling of a deep restlessness is part of the human condition. St. Augustine went so far as to say that “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts grow weary until we find our rest in You.”  In other words, only an infinite God can meet the infinite desires of our hearts. It begs the question of whether there is a practice from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ that can mitigate against the chronic restlessness of our human condition. The answer is yes, – it’s the Sabbath.

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word, Shabbat, which means to stop. The Sabbath (for Jews and Christians) is simply a day to stop – to stop working, stop worrying, stop desiring – just stop.

Stop and do what, you ask? REST. Sabbath is a way of being – a condition of resting in God’s loving presence and in His goodness. On the Sabbath, we worship (a form of resting with God – who we are made to rest with) and rest with our family and loved ones. We cease all work – work we’re paid for and work we’re not paid for. The great Christian thinker Walter Brueggemann said, “people who keep the Sabbath live all seven days differently.” Keeping the Sabbath will not only bless you on that day but bless you all through the week. Jesus went so far as to say, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  In the Genesis story of creation, God created for six days but rested on the 7^th to behold all that He had made – and it was good. The Sabbath gives us one day a week to reflect on the goodness of God and our own goodness – goodness not linked to work, accomplishments, etc. Our own goodness as men and women made in His image.

Read Dan Allender’s description of the Sabbath in his book, Sabbath:

The Sabbath is an invitation to enter delight. The Sabbath is unquestionably the best day of our week and Sabbaths are the best days of our lives. Sabbath is a holy time when we feast, play, dance, sing, pray, laugh, tell stories, read, paint, walk, and watch creation in all its beauty. Few people are willing to enter the Sabbath this way because few people understand what the Sabbath is and how to celebrate it.

I’ll close with the results of a survey – a doctor discovered that among the happiest and longest-lived people in the world are Seventh Day Adventists, a Christian denomination that honors the Sabbath with great intensity. On average they live 10 years longer than others. Do the math and you’ll discover that a Sabbath celebrated every seven days totals to 10 years – the extra 10 years that this group seems to achieve.

I encourage you to learn more about the Sabbath and to develop a plan for how you and those you love might celebrate the Sabbath. I’d love to hear what you learn and practice – perhaps we can share that with one another.

A great life includes a life of Sabbath, one day a week where we do nothing but rest in the goodness and beauty of God!

Written by Matt Palmer, Partner & Co-Founder