Sabbath Rest

Not the most fun blog post this far, but one that will change your life forever if you truly sabbathed. We are burnt out and exhausted because we do not sabbath rest. Perhaps you do, but not fully and completely. If God of the universe, the Almighty powerful God, modeled rest for us on the 7th day, we should follow. He did not need rest and he doesn’t get tired. He was showing you and me how vital Sabbath rest is for our lives and our life in this world.

My prayer Journal and here is the post on how I spend time with the Lord in prayer.

Have you ever wanted God to just tell you what to do? I feel that way sometimes and even ask for him to speak, as if he didn’t write a complete book for me to follow. Walking in obedience by honoring the sabbath is a practical way we live this life on earth well.

God’s promises

“And on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Gen 2:2-3

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Ex 20:8

“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.” Lev 23:3

These are promises straight from the Bible. Jesus says that the yoke would be easy, and the burden would be light, not because life isn’t hard and heavy sometimes. Instead, in the middle of what we are carrying we can rest like nothing on this earth. We can choose Jesus, sabbath rest, and surrender- those make what we carry easy and light.

Habits of the Household Book. Worth a read but take from it what you need and leave the rest.

When I feel overwhelmed, I reflect on the quality of rest I’ve had. Usually, I’ve let the Sabbath go because life is busy and I can’t say no to schedules.

All I can say is, try it! What do you have to lose? Truly taking a Sabbath will feel weird and boring. That’s normal and okay! Be consistent with resting and watch how the Lord blesses your obedience!

“Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers.”
Jer 17:21-22

“Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”
Exe 20:12

Doing more by doing less.

I write this post out of conviction and accountability. When I think of setting goals I think of doing and going and becoming. None of those things say to slow down, stop doing, and rest. But I know that God’s promises and Word are the Truth and final word for my life. 

When I’m in a season of sabbath rest, the world doesn’t have the same hold on me. I’m reminded of who I belong to and what He does for me. I am completely dependent on him. Sabbath rests are not just for nuns you know.

My Bible

What’s a Sabbath?

Taking a full and complete sabbath rest has two parts:

1. Worshipping and acknowledging your need for God
2. Resting from the things of this world

You also will rest every part of you:

• Spirit: Worship & fill up on the Word of God
• Soul: Journal, read, quiet your mind
• Body: Physical rest, nap, walk, bath

1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:16-17 New International Version 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever[ a] you want.

Ya’ll I could go on and on. Look in the index of your Bible under Sabbath and study the scriptures there.

How to Sabbath

How often

• Daily: 15 minutes- 1 hour of no technology. Reading, resting, gratitude.
• Weekly: A Weekly Sabbath as the Bible describes. (More below)
• Annual: Vision retreat and a RELAXING(not scheduled plans) vacay

Weekly Sabbath Rest

Day Before prep

The secret to Sabbath rest for me in a busy season with kids, is planning a prep day to wrap up the week and get my home in order so I can rest. Your Sabbath day DOES NOT have to be Sunday by the way. So prep the day before your chosen Sabbath day.

My kids are in school during the week, so sometimes I choose Monday as my Sabbath. If I homeschooled without a doubt, Friday would be a Sabbath day. The weeks we go on vacation, I just Sabbath the day after we get back. The house is clean before we go, so I clean out the car and wrap up the laundry the day we arrive and have a dreamy sabbath the following day.

Laundry

• Wrap up all laundry for the week. Don’t forget towels & sheets.

Tidy & Clean

• Friday and Monday are my cleaning days, but I do tidy up on Saturday afternoon and spot mop if needed.

Meal Prep

• Crockpot in the winter and grill out in the warmer months. Then, I prepare leftovers for Sunday evening.

Family Time

• Be present and fill love tanks so no one goes into Sundays starved for attention.

Plan & Review Goals

• reflect on the past week & plan coming week

Whichever day you choose for a Sabbath, protect it. Say no to appointments, sports, going, and buying. It’s a discipline of setting boundaries to protect your values and time. Everyone will appreciate the person you are when have rested.

Sabbath Boundaries

We aren’t going to call these rules. They are boundaries that protect our Sabbath Day and keep it holy. When your flesh wants to say yes, these are here to remind you that it’s a no. No exceptions. 

Do’s

• Start the day at Church or in prayer
• Rest & Nap
• Journal
• Walk
• Eat & have fun with believers
• Be present & have no to do list
• Read

Do NOT’s

• Phone (ideally. such a bad habit to break)
• Hard physical exercise
• participating in Kids sports & going to all the places
• Skip church and prayer

Church Family

I think this is an appropriate post to share what’s on my heart when it comes to church family. The Bible is clear that we should have a place of worship and worshipping with other believers is powerful and healing. 

Where you plant your feet matters. Together we can do a lot in unity. Investing in a community of believers is one of the most impactful things you can do to grow into who you were meant to be.

However, there are no perfect churches. We are all in need of a Savior and if you look to the church to be perfect, that’s not healthy or fair for you or them

I’ve recently walked through a season of church hurt. I loved my church. I loved serving and being at church with the people there. However, that season ended there.

Lots of things were said and it hurt. Even when I didn’t feel like it, my family continued to attend church every Sunday. It was a hard season of waiting and grief.

I had to realize that God did not hurt me. Hurting and imperfect people did. In this season of waiting we prayed, surrendered, cried, and forgave.

I tell you this to say, don’t let what someone did change what you know about the character of God. Leaving may not be the answer, but it could be a sign that God has more. In your waiting be still and wait for the Lord. Then, heal so you don’t take your yesterday to your today.

I’m still in the healing phase of my story, but we have found a new church family. We are doing the hard work of getting to know new people and starting over again. If you have experienced this, it hurts. It’s a different and deep hurt, but don’t give up on the Church. We need the Church and the Church needs us.

How to find a new church home

Finding a new church home can feel daunting. It’s tempting to wait until Christmas or Easter so you will ease your guilt and ensure you will blend into the crowd. But I encourage you to start NOW. We need the Church and other believers to grow up and encourage us in this thing called life.

It’s hard to walk through new doors. For me, it felt like a divorce and the idea of starting over didn’t feel worth it. BUT IT IS. You need it and your family needs it and your new church needs you.

What’s your next step?

1. Ask friends where they go and what they love about it. ( Take into consideration how often they attend and what kind of life they are living. Not in a judgmental way- the opposite really. Is there fruit and a hunger for the Lord in their life?
2. Consider the Kids program & youth group. Obviously this is important if you have kids, but even if you don’t, that ministry will tell you a lot about a church. We wanted a place for our kids to have friends that were at their schools, so we knew we had to stay close by. I asked a friend many questions about her time there and how connected her kids were.
3. Visit. No pressure. No commitment. This is just the first date. lol. How does it feel? Is there community there? How was the worship experience and message? You’ll know right away if it’s not for you. If you are unsure, commit to number of weeks so you can get a bigger picture of what to expect.
4. Jump in. Visiting is a season that may last a few months to even a year, but at some point you need to JOIN the church not just attend. If you have a home church, this may be the step you realized you haven’t done. It’s easy to go on Sunday and nothing more. I get it. Start small by attending a small group. Attend events. Participate in seasonal serve opportunities. This is truly how you become the Church Family and meet the body of Christ.
5. Give grace & forgive.

I hope this blog post was helpful and encouraging to you. Possibly even challenging, I know it has been for me. The discipline of a Sabbath is worth the energy and time. Matter of fact, it will multiply your time and create harvest because you were obedient. Let me know what you do on the Sabbath below!

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant– these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Isa 56:6-7

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”Heb 10:24-25