sabbath rest: learning to be with God, not just do for god.
What if Sabbath isn't another thing we do for God, but time we
get to spend with Him?
Last week, we talked about busyness and what happens when our lives become overloaded. This week, I want to look at something that connects with that conversation but takes us in a different direction.
What does Sabbath rest actually look like in real life?
Pastor Thad has been walking us through Jesus' teaching about Sabbath in Mark 2. I want to take the conversation out of the Bible study and into our lives.
Because knowing that Sabbath is important and actually resting are two very different things.
Maybe We Have Made Rest Too Complicated
Have you ever decided to start doing something good, only to discover you immediately created a bunch of rules around it? Sabbath can sometimes feel that way.
What day should it be?
What am I supposed to do?
What am I not supposed to do?
Does it count if I have to work?
What about cooking?
What about errands?
What about the kids?
What about all those things that didn't get done during the week?
Before long, something intended to bring rest can start creating stress.
And that got me thinking.
Maybe the first question isn't “Am I doing Sabbath right?”
Maybe it's:“Am I actually making room to be with God?”
I Didn't Always Think About Sabbath This Way
I grew up Catholic and was married in the Catholic Church. Later, my faith journey led me into a nondenominational Christian church.
As a result, I've experienced different perspectives on Sunday, worship, and Sabbath.
The biblical Sabbath is the seventh day. Christians began gathering for worship on Sunday
because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Catholic tradition places a strong emphasis on Sunday as the Lord's Day, including worship, rest and time with family and community.
Other Christian traditions approach Sabbath in different ways. I'm not trying to settle the Saturday-versus-Sunday question here.
There are sincere Christians with different convictions about how Sabbath should be practiced.
Instead, I'm more interested in what happens after we stop arguing about the calendar.
What does it look like to actually receive a day of rest?
What I Saw in Israel
In 2019, my husband and I traveled to Israel. One thing that made the biblical idea of Sabbath come alive for me was seeing the preparation for the Jewish Sabbath.
The day before Sabbath, people prepared for the coming day. Food was prepared ahead of time. They weren't planning to spend the Sabbath cooking dinner or heating things up
whenever they felt like it.
They prepared and then Sabbath came. And they stopped.
I remember thinking about how different that is from the way many of us approach rest.
We often say we'll rest when we get everything done.
But what if everything is never done?
The preparation itself made me think differently about Sabbath. Rest sometimes requires intentionality.
You don't just stumble into it.
You make room for it and prepare for it. And then you actually let yourself stop.
Seeing people live out a rhythm passed down for generations felt powerful. It wasn't just a whimsical idea.
With God, Not For God
A dear friend of mine said something that has stuck with me:
“We need to remember that we do Sabbath with God, not for God.”
I think that is the heart of what I've been wrestling with. Because we are really good at doing things for God.
We serve, volunteer, go to church, we study, pray, help, we give our time to others. And these are all good things.
But sometimes our relationship with God can become one long list of things we are doing for Him.
And then we approach Sabbath the same way.
“Okay, God. Here's my Sabbath. I did it correctly.”
That misses something.
Sabbath isn't a performance we give God. It is time we receive with God.
That changes the posture completely.
We don't need to try to impress Him, because we are not trying to earn anything.
We simply make room to be present with the One who already loves us.
God's Love Is Like a Fairytale Love
My friend also described God's love in a way that made me smile.
She said:
“God's love is like a fairytale love. It is perfect and we didn't even have to do anything.”
Now, I'm not suggesting we turn Scripture into a Disney movie. But there is something beautiful in that thought. God's love isn't something we earn by getting enough things right.
He loved us first.
My friend put it another way:
“God bowled a strike for us, on our behalf.”
We don't have to bowl the perfect game.
Jesus has already done what we could never do for ourselves. So maybe Sabbath gives us a chance to stop trying to prove ourselves for a little while.
We can simply receive God's love, His presence and receive the gift of time.
My Daughter Has Taught Me Something About Sabbath
My daughter, her family and a wonderful group of friends have helped me see what Sabbath can look like in real life.
They have learned the importance of setting aside a regular day of rest each week.
It doesn't necessarily happen on Sunday.
And their Sabbath isn't simply about sitting quietly and doing nothing.
It is about rest, fun and community. There is food, laughter, maybe some games and
worship. It is a special time with family and friends that is carved out and prioritized.
And I love that picture because sometimes I think we have made “rest” sound terribly serious.
What if Sabbath can include joy?
What if worship and laughter can share the same day?
What if sitting around a table with people we love is part of receiving God's goodness?
Maybe Sabbath isn't just about what we stop doing. Maybe it's also about what we finally have room to enjoy.
Sabbath Will Look Different for Different People
Not everyone's Sabbath will look the same. A person's work schedule, family responsibilities and season of life can all affect when and how they can set aside time for rest.
The important question isn't whether your Sabbath looks exactly like someone else's.
The question is whether you have intentionally made room in your life to stop and be present with God.
For some people, that may be Sunday. For others, it may be another day.
For some, it may be a quiet day. For others, there may be a house full of children, friends, food and laughter.
The details may differ. The heart can remain the same.
Stop. Receive. Be with God.
Sabbath Takes Trust
I think this is one of the hardest parts. When we stop, we are admitting that everything does not depend on us. There will still be dishes and laundry.
There will still be unfinished projects and there will still be people who need things.
The world will not suddenly become perfectly organized because we took a day to rest.
And yet God invites us to stop anyway.
That takes trust.
It reminds me of the Israelites gathering manna in the wilderness. God told them to gather enough before the Sabbath because they weren't supposed to go out gathering on that day.
They had to prepare.
Then they had to trust.
The same principle can speak to us today. We prepare, and then we stop.
Not because everything is finished.
Because we trust God enough to know that everything doesn't have to be finished.
What If Sabbath Is a Gift We Haven't Learned to Receive?
We spend so much of life giving. We give our time, energy, and attention. We serve, work and care for others. We spend time solving problems.
And then God says: Stop.
Not because everything is finished and not because everyone has been taken care of. The house might not be clean and our projects may not be finished but He simply says, stop.
There is a time to receive. God says, Receive My presence, My love, and receive the gift of time and joy. Receive rest!
That's different from earning. And maybe that's why Sabbath can feel uncomfortable. We're much better at doing than receiving. And to remember that God doesn't need us to keep the universe running.
That's His job. Thank goodness.
Maybe We Just Need to Stop
The Sabbath doesn’t have to become another complicated formula for Christians to debate.
I think we can make it much simpler.
Set aside time.
Prepare when necessary.
Stop the normal work.
Turn your attention toward God.
Enjoy the people He has given you.
Rest. Receive. Be present. And do it again the next week. Not because God needs something from us. Because we need the reminder that we belong to Him.
Points to Ponder
Do I tend to approach Sabbath as something I need to do for God, or something I get to do with God?
What makes it difficult for me to actually stop and rest?
What could I prepare ahead of time so that rest doesn't become another thing to squeeze into my schedule?
What brings me genuine joy and helps me connect with God and the people He has placed in my life?
Do I struggle more with doing or with receiving? Why?
What would it look like for me to intentionally create a rhythm of Sabbath rest?
Maybe God didn't give us Sabbath because He needed us to do something for Him.
Maybe He gave us Sabbath because He knew we needed to remember that we belong to Him. And maybe that is the gift we have been rushing past.
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Meet the author and Her Partner in Faith:
Tammy and Bruce have been married for 39 years, navigating life as best friends and partners in faith. Their days are a beautiful mix of service and creativity: Tammy serves her community as an active EMT when she isn't on the road, while Bruce, a retired Law Enforcement officer, is the visionary artist behind God’s Country Art.
Between the adrenaline of emergency medicine and the peace of the open road, Tammy is a lifelong writer currently editing her debut Christian Fantasy novel, Beyond the Mirror’s Edge (Hopefully, to be published soon!)
Together, they are devoted parents and grandparents who find God’s handiwork in everything—from a life-saving moment in the field to a quiet piece of hand-carved wood. Whether through fellowship with others online at Your Jesus Journey, or a campfire chat at a new campsite, they are committed to sharing the love of Christ one mile at a time.
You can see some of Bruce's handiwork at Godscountryart.com
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