The Sabbath PracticeEsimerkki

Day 1: Stop

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, which literally means “to stop” or “cease.” But it can also mean to rest, to delight, and even to worship.

The first time that shabbat shows up is in Genesis 2v1-3. God finishes the work of creation, and it says “he rested [shabbat] from all his work.”

Notice: God sabbathed.

Abraham Joshua Heschel notes that God didn’t sabbath because he was tired, or worn out from all the creating he did. Rather, his act of stopping was an act of creation itself. God stops, and in doing so, he creates a rhythm of rest woven into the very fabric of creation.

When we live without Sabbath, we go against the rhythm that God the creator himself built into our body and into the fabric of all creation. This is true on the negative side—when you don’t sabbath, you suffer the consequences: burnout, stress, trashed immune systems, brain fog, frayed relationships, distance from God, etc. But it’s also true on the positive side—when we do sabbath, we reap the rewards: peace, health, and delight, just to name a few.

But Sabbath isn’t just an aspirational idea; it’s a practice. Sabbath, like all of the practices, is a means to an end. The end isn’t to say “I practice Sabbath.” It’s not even to be well-rested and happy. It’s to participate in the love and life of God himself, to center our entire life around him, and to live more deeply in him—not just on Sabbath, but all week long.

You do not have to live a Sabbath-less life of non-stop exhaustion. You, right where you are, no matter your stage of life, can adopt the practice of Sabbath. And you don’t have to buy it, or order it online, or earn it; all you have to do is stop.

What would it take for you to set aside a period of time this week to simply stop?