Rest for Your Soul: Why You Need Sabbath Rest

Last week I talked the importance of spring cleaning for your heart and soul, and how when you make it a priority, you can begin to see more clearly where you're spending your energy and if you're stretching yourself too thin. There are many good things you be involved with, but just like you can have too much chocolate cake (yes, the chocoholic admitted it), overloading yourself with too many good things can drain your energy and lead to you feeling wired and tired. If you're unsure about whether this is you, ask yourself if you feel like you try to make it through most days fueled on caffeine and willpower.

There are certainly seasons in life where the pace picks up and it can feel like you're hanging on by the seat of your pants, but this shouldn't be your norm. In fact, even in the midst of the most hurricane seasons of life, it's important to take shelter under the wings of the Almighty even more than you already do.

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:1 and 4

I love both of the images provided in these two verses - a shadow and wings - and here's why: you have to be CLOSE to enjoy the shelter of either. You can't be in someone's shadow if you're six feet away from them, just like baby birds or chicks can't be under their mothers wings unless they are right next to them! Let the closeness and intimacy of God's love and care for you sink in as you read those verses one more time, putting your name into them.

"[Your name] lives in the shelter of the Most High and finds rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover [your name] with His feathers, and under His wings [your name] finds refuge; His faithfulness will be [your name's] shield and rampart."

I don't know if you're like me, but I try to be way too independent all too often! It doesn't usually take too long before the weight of everything I'm trying to carry and do in my own strength brings me to my knees and reminds me of my great need for my Father to care for me, provide for me, and pour out His tender mercies on me.

Depending on how you were raised, Sunday morning church might have been something you attended twice a year, something that felt like an obligation because there was heavy guilt when you didn't show up, or something that was yet another event to attend in an already busy schedule.

Or just maybe, you were raised in a home where you were taught that Sunday was a special day of rest - a day where things really slowed down in an intentional way, where there was very little scheduled after coming home from church so that as individuals and as a whole, your family could experience a true Sabbath rest.

How to Practice Sabbath Rest

Let me clear something up right away - Sabbath rest is for you just by virtue of existing. Do you know why? Because the creator of the universe, God Almighty, created you, loves you, and knows you more deeply and intimately than you know yourself and He knows how much you need to rest once each week.

You - all of you - heart, mind, soul - were made to work and be productive, yes, but not 24-7.

You were also made to rest and God set that example for you when, after six days of creation, He rested on the seventh. So how do you practice Sabbath rest? Is there some special formula, some list of rules, some correct way of doing things? Nope. Sabbath rest means that you intentionally create space where there is nothing for you to do or that is required of you so that you can spend time talking with the Maker of your soul.

Let's look at some ways you can experience Sabbath rest:

Walking through a forest and feeling the unique level of humidity that is contained within the trees, smelling the richness of earth and plants, listening to the sounds of leaves blowing across the trail and birds calling to one another. Feeling the sunlight dapple your face and arms as your inner rhythms naturally slow to the pace of your surroundings.

Pushing your kayak or canoe out onto the lake, listening to the waves lap against the dock, feeling the rise and fall of your kayak as the water crests and falls. Listening to the kids playing on the shore and whistle of the wind as it pushes you across the lake. Smelling the salt scent of your skin as you grow warmer in the afternoon sun.

Gently swaying in your hammock or outdoor swing, bare feet pushing against the bark of the tree or the long soft grasses. Closing your eyes to focus on the songs of the birds at your feeder and in your trees. Listening to cars drive by, tractors plow land, and bees humming while collecting spring's pollen.

Your Invitation

Can you feel it now? Has your breathing slowed or deepened? Maybe you unconsciously let go of shoulders you were shrugging tight up under your ears. Perhaps your hands and feet unclenched.

It's so hard for us to be intentional to stop and make time to be still. It feels so counterintuitive, but this is what we were designed for - to have a rhythm of work and rest. The reason is that in the resting, we are to draw closer to God, to take our thanks and praises, our fears and worries, our successes and failures to Him and let Him speak to us, fill us, and restore us.

When we don't do this, we run the risk of running on empty, then running on fumes, and finally running on caffeine, sheer willpower, and white knuckling through our days. Given those two options - maintaining a healthy rhythm of productivity and rest vs the never-ending race of running on empty, which would you rather choose?

The choice seems obvious, but it's so easy to get sucked into the busyness of everyday life and completely miss that we have not carved out time for rest.

Today, I encourage you to find time in your day that you will set aside for rest. While Sabbath rest is once a week, your body and mind need a daily respite. Whether you're reading this first thing in the morning, in the middle of the day, or in the cool of the evening, make time to turn off all the distractions, silence the alerts, and spend time in the company of the One who loves you and longs to care for you.