One of the holiest things you can do is rest. But if you are like me, a good night’s sleep is a distant memory from the time before I had kids. So, how do I rest when I can’t even go to the bathroom without someone coming to find me? How do we rest from labour when so much of our labour refuses to rest from us? To answer that question, we need to truly understand what keeping the Sabbath means.
Right from the beginning, God established and modelled a rhythm of rest: “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:3). Adam was placed in the garden to work and take care of it, according to this pattern of toil and rest.
But today, we live in a society that prizes ambition, striving and overwork, while rest is seen as laziness. How do we resist the broken rhythms of this hustle culture—especially during one of the busiest times of year?
In the Gospels, Jesus reiterated that the Sabbath is a gift from God and was made for people (see Mark 2:24-28). It is less about the day or the activities and more about the purpose: to rest and rely on him.
Hebrew has two main words for Sabbath: shabbat, which means to “stop working,” and nuakh, which means to “dwell” or “settle.” Both words are important, because to keep the Sabbath, we must shabbat (stop working) and nuakh (settle and dwell). Families with young children can’t stop changing diapers or breaking up lightsaber fights, but we can stop our work outside of the home, put aside our to-do lists inside the home and model what it means to settle and dwell in Jesus.
Perhaps you’re thinking, Impossible! I thought so, too. With Christmas and kettles often out six days a week, it leaves little time to shabbat and nuakh. But when we reclaim our schedules and reorganize our priorities, shabbating and nuakhing start to make a little more sense. Here are four simple ways that we can all make Sabbath a priority this Christmas season.
- Schedule your rest day into your calendar and refuse to cancel that appointment.
- Learn the art of saying “no,” even if it means something will not happen. Sabbath is a command straight from God and we need to stop justifying breaking that command on a regular basis.
- Make it fun. Schedule that day of rest and then plan something with your kids that will bring joy and laughter and will fill you to the brim. (We are big fans of tubing down hills way too fast and defying broken bones.)
- Know deep in your soul that no kettle goal met, no toys given and no songs sung will ever define your worth and value to the God who created and knit you together. You do not have to hustle to prove what God already knows is true.
There’s no magic wand, but there are some intentional decisions you can make to craft a family Sabbath that will help you learn to settle and dwell in the Most High (although you still might not get to sleep in or have extra alone time).
Here’s the hard truth. God doesn’t need you or me to accomplish his will. He would love to use us, but if we are too busy to settle and dwell in his presence, then we have completely missed the point.
Make shabbat and nuakh the theme of your Christmas season this year. Stop working around the clock and start dwelling in his presence, knowing without a doubt that he will provide and guide.
Rest your soul. Turn yourself to Jesus. Teach your kids how to Sabbath at a young age. Remind yourself that the command to rest is not rescinded during the Christmas season. Know that there is nothing you can do without his strength, and then teach your family to do the same with some fun, simple and God-honouring choices.
Sometimes the greatest work we can do is the work of simply resting in him, because he is with us. Isn’t that the whole point of the season?
Captain Bhreagh Rowe is the community ministries officer, St. Albert Church and Community Centre, Alta.
Photo: ElenaNichizhenova/iStock via Getty Images Plus
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Such sobering thoughts well written. Thank you.