A: One way is to practice the Sabbath!
Exodus 20: 8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work…”
In a culture where we are too busy and have too much to do, it is difficult to think of taking a few hours off, much less a whole day every week! By practicing Sabbath, we acknowledge our human limits, and actively proclaim that we trust God to take care of all the things we aren’t doing and taking care of that day.
The Hebrew word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew verb shavat, which literally means "to cease." Practicing the Sabbath means ceasing our work and setting aside time to be intimate with God.
Some practices we can suggest for the Sabbath:
- Time with God: prayer, devotion, worship, spiritual disciplines etc.
- Time with friends and family: rest, picnics, walks, visiting, games, family time…
- Letting go of things that stress you out for 24 hours
- Refrain from to-do lists, competition or difficult conversations (things that put you in a bad place)
If you can’t do Sundays, find a day that works for you. Try not to focus on the regulations of Sabbath, but on the gift of Sabbath. In Mark 2:27, Jesus tells us, “"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” When we observe the Sabbath weekly, we have the opportunity to receive the God-given fruit of freedom, joy, and intimacy with Jesus, just to name a few. Let’s try this together, shall we?!
