When Sabbath Comes for You

“Guilt free laziness. A welcome respite.” These words came through on a group text when the icy weather hit North Texas in January and we were homebound for a few days. 

Thank You For Being Late is a 2016 book by Thomas Friedman, known author and writer for the New York Times. In the opening page, he offers gratitude for those found moments of unscheduled time when someone is late for an appointment.

If you haven’t experienced it yet, having teenagers means so much waiting. Waiting for practice to get out, waiting for them to get home, waiting at events for them to perform. 

And I wonder, is it better to proactively plan these quiet moments a la sabbath, or is it better to be surprised? 

A. Team Sabbath
Discipline. Routine. Preservation of space and time. I have read so many articles, blogs, and books on Sabbath. The boundaries inherent in preserving a period of time in my week for quiet, mindfulness, and rest sometimes feel Herculean. 

I am able to find mine between the approximate hours of 4:30-7:00am, depending on the day of the week. It used to feel like I was robbing myself of sleep, but I now find this time at least as restful as an extra 30-60 minutes of shut-eye. 

This time to settle, organize, and set out upon my day leaves me feeling grounded and prepared for whatever awaits in the day ahead. 

B. Team Surprise
Delight. Pause. Quiet. When I find myself with unexpected moments of waiting, it feels like such a gift. Even if I find myself scrolling, the least-welcome vocation of rest in my book, there is peace in this pause from the routine and pace of the world that surrounds me. It feels like I’ve banked on a nearby shore for a moment to readjust and to breathe. 

But ultimately I must go back into the flow and maintain full speed ahead toward whatever it is that awaits or for which we are striving. 

C. All of the above
The good news is that if we read Mark 2:27-28 carefully, we learn that the Sabbath is an idea FOR us, a gift TO us.

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the  Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” 

You see, I believe that context matters. In a pre-industrial economy (and I think we can agree that biblical times are pre-pre-pre-pre Industrial times), economically, the people all needed to take a break at the same time. That beautiful rest only worked if the community held space for a pause together. And while that would no doubt still be possible, it is less practical in the capitalist meritocracy we live in. 

Sabbath in the Bible is a standard, is holy, and is prescribed because it is necessary for growth. It is a holy pause that enables us to hear the Holy Spirit and be filled with what we need for whatever is happening in our lives. A time when we can be reminded we are loved, just for being. What a gift. 

We live in a world now where our context is on a different timeline than our neighbor’s. Our obligations are less standard, and our days are less in sync with those around us. With that comes the grace and mercy to apply Sabbath whenever it fits in our days. What a privilege. 

Or, what a command. What an opportunity to employ discipline toward our own growth and holy healing each day or week, however we may choose to observe. 

And our seasons of life offer differing opportune schedules for this rest. The advent of a workday attuned to a clock rather than the sun, a school day schedule, and community finding us in extra-curriculars all over our geography suggest that when we can find Sabbath shifts with each age and stage that life presents. 

And initially my inner self bristles at this attunement to the schedule of the world rather than the schedule of the Holy. But… we can carry the Holy into the World. Let’s say that together: We can carry the Holy into the World. Kendall Vanderslice does a beautiful job of this with her work around Edible Theology. 

Go after your Sabbath. You. Need. Rest. God created us to rest. God modeled rest for us in Creation. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, which was probably many things, and restful was certainly one of them. So this Lent, while it is tempting to add a discipline, to add a checkbox aligned with restraint, know that there is holiness in rest, holiness in just being, holiness in pulling back, and simply finding the Holy in our days – in the quiet cup of coffee, in the bedtime story, in the bleachers amidst the cacophony of practice, in the stirring of the saucepan. Find your Holy, and know it is good. Our kiddos are watching.