Slamming on the Brakes: The Habit of (Involuntary and) Voluntary Sabbath

Ministry Lesson 501: I need to learn to rest. We all need to learn to rest.

It can be quite difficult to pause in life. Our culture is fast. Our lives are faster. And stopping seems so sudden.  It's that feeling when you are speeding along and all of a sudden, there are brake lights in front of you and without blinking you slam on your own brakes.  The feeling at that moment is both shocking and a relief.

I've had those moments without being in a speeding car, or train, or any type of motorized vehicle...and no, it's not because I'm a ridiculously fast sprinter...it's because I've been forced into moments of pause. And, I have to be honest, voluntarily, taking those moments of pause and doing nothing else but being willing to be still before God, can be incredible and peaceful and rejuvenating.  However, being forced into these moments, can be shocking, frustrating, and down right brutal, (though once in the midst of them it can be wonderful). 

And, I think the reason that I find myself being forced into these moments is because I'm not great at taking them. I know the importance of taking a Sabbath, and I realize that God modeled it for us so that we would be in the habit of doing it - not only to take a day to honor Him, but to also take a day to rest.  But I have a hard time stopping. Maybe it's momentum, maybe it's pride, maybe it's adrenalin, but something keeps me from stopping.  But, this isn't wise and it isn't healthy.  God totally designed us to have some rest. To take pauses.  To breathe. And well, I'm working on it.

But what does it look like to rest in God? It goes beyond taking a day in your p.j.'s...doesn't it? I think that part of the equation is being able to unplug from the daily routines that are the norm the other 6 days of the week and changing your pace - the Psalm 46:10 reminder to "Be still and know that I am God" pace. That's the pace of resting in God.  In Matthew 11, Jesus calls us to find rest in him - for all those weary and heavy-laden. How easy is it for us to keep going when we are weary and heavy-laden? We do it begrudgingly and in frustration, but much of the time, we don't need to. 

In John 14:26-27, Jesus reminds us of this incredible gift we receive from him: "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."  Resting in that peace - peace of mind and heart - and dwelling on that incredible gift can be rest.  It doesn't just mean focusing on that and nothing else, it can be seeing your family through that lens, looking at nature through that lens, or spending time meditating on Scripture. 

Purposefully slowing down in the middle of a world and a life that is so fast-paced is most definitely counter-cultural and, I think, something we all need to learn to model for one another. I hazard a rabbit trail with this, but I think that many of us (myself included) worry that slowing down, that taking time for myself or taking time to breathe, is sinful and somehow regarded as weak. But I know, in my heart, that it is quite the opposite.  Stewarding the gifts God has given us also includes resting and recuperating - being willing and able to take voluntary pauses to recharge. There can actually be a negative effect in not stopping, and then, in some way, whether that be through burnout, fatigue, sickness, or whatever else, we are forced to stop.  And, as I said in the beginning, it can be much more brutal to be shocked into a stop than it is to ease yourself into one willingly.


And so, as the lesson is being written, it is also being learned and taken to heart. Resting is good. I need to learn to do it, and my friend, as you read this, if you haven't learned to do it - learn now and learn quickly.