It’s inevitable when it comes to virtually any plans we make. Something (big or little) will attempt to usurp those grand plans of ours. This happened recently when it came to my never ending attempt to practice Sabbath rest.
For the last several years, I’ve been especially convicted and convinced of the need to practice the weekly routine of taking a break, referred to in Christian circles as Sabbath. To a great degree, it has been a lifeline for me. It has kept me from long periods of despair. It has held my marriage intact. It has allowed me to serve the same church for the past nineteen years. It has allowed me to stay mostly sane.
Still, on any given Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon (my twenty-four hour period of rest), something will creep up and will call for me to skip the Sabbath. And truth be told, sometimes I do. I’m a people-pleaser by nature so saying “no” to someone is especially hard for me to do. And when you’re twenty-five year old son calls you up and asks if you will so graciously watch his children (who we just so happen to love and adore), there really is no question.
This experience, especially if it happens often, could easily lead one into “giving up.” I’ve felt like doing this a time or two. Maybe you have too. So, what do we do when your son or daughter calls needing a babysitter? What do you do when the car breaks down? What do you do when you’re up against a deadline and you need every spare moment? Experiencing all of these things, and experimenting with Sabbath rest for quite some time now, let me offer a few suggestions.
One, try another day. If Monday is shot, perhaps you can take another day that week to practice Sabbath rest. Amidst my own experience of trying to make this a habit, and to incorporate it successfully in an already busy schedule, I’ve made use of virtually every day of the week. So, if Monday is now out, maybe Tuesday will still work. If not, maybe by being especially productive the rest of the week, your Sabbath, not unlike the Jewish version, could begin on Friday night and extend into Saturday night.
Two, if finding another day is not a real possibility for you, try breaking your Sabbath up. For instance, if a Sabbath is essentially sixteen wakeful hours, find various blocks of time throughout the week to get those sixteen hours. You could block off 5 hours on Tuesday as it fits, schedule another 5 hour block on Wednesday, and 6 hours on Saturday afternoon. There are lots of ways to do this, but you will need to get better about blocking the time to do so.
Third, when at first you don’t succeed, try again. If nothing works on any given week (and you will have weeks like that) don’t fear. Table it and start again the next week. Just like we get out of sorts when it comes to working out, if we’re set on getting back to it, we’ll try again the next day/week, etc…
Finally, if I’ve learned anything, one of the best things that we Sabbath keepers can do is to get the word out. What I mean by that is we tell those around us, and especially those most prone to call us, make a request, and need our help, that Sunday (if that is your Sabbath) is my Sabbath and I like to steer clear of doing stuff on those days. Maybe you even develop a one or two sentence spiel as to why you practice Sabbath rest. This can also be a helpful reminder to keep yourself going. If you do this, what you’ll find is that many will honor that request. Most people will not intentionally bother you if they know you have dedicated the day for rest. More often, and more probable are those who will seek your attention because they have no idea. So, make a point of letting those most likely to contact you that Monday’s are your Sabbath. This, perhaps as much as anything, will help make your Sabbath keeping run that much smoother.
