If you’re involved in church ministry I’m sure that you can relate to the following couple of statements that Josh Reich* shares in his article, which was posted on Sermon Central on the 23rd of November 2022, entitled ‘Creating a Rhythm of Sabbath Rest‘.
“I have too many things on my calendar” or,
“At the end of the day I don’t have energy for my spouse, kids or the people who matter most to me.”
As we come towards arguably the busiest time of the Christian calendar we are all feeling a tad tired, overwhelmed and rundown. The Covid-19 pandemic, what with its lockdowns and societal restrictions that were placed on us and now for some the uncertainty that we are now living in, have taken their toll. The upheaval of constantly having to adapt, change and morph has caused us to question just about everything, and the turmoil that surrounds us (economic concerns, war, failing systems etc.) has become almost unbearable.
It’s as if we are hanging out for the Christmas / New Year holidays to begin and we can take a much needed rest after the Christmas Day service, even if all that means is to shut the doors for a while, breathe, clean up and gather our thoughts long enough to figure out what we can start doing next year and when.
Josh goes on to state that; “God calls us to be healthy. Healthy spiritually, physically, relationally, emotionally, and mentally. God created us, and all of us are meant to glorify Him” and asks a pertinent question, “Am I living in a way that is sustainable and will help me thrive tomorrow?“
This is something that I have had to come to grips with big time, as I constantly deal with the effects of fatigue brought on by Interstitial Lung Disease, which is associated with a rare autoimmune disease called Scleroderma.
One day I can literally feel right as rain and get a myriad of things done, the next I can barely make it out of bed.
I’ve been on a steep learning curve over the past year and a bit, as I learn how to pace myself, both in the area of my overall health and well-being – and also in the area of mission and ministry.
Looking at what I am able to contribute and accomplish, now that I’m living with an invisible disability.
I have had to learn the importance and practice of Sabbath Rest.
But what does that look like practically on a day to day basis?
Creating a Rhythm of Sabbath Rest
Josh provides the following five ideas that can help:
1. Let go because Jesus has this.
As our Sabbath rest, we need to let go and give Jesus our burdens, stress, and anxiety and rest in Him. We know we will have burdens, stress and anxieties because Jesus tells us we will, and we are to give them to him.
Because of Jesus’ work, coming from heaven to earth, we are able to accept our limitations. Because Jesus is limitless, we can rest in Him. Not only that, seeing Jesus as our rest is about trusting and enjoying Jesus as better than what we are running from or running in.
2. Schedule rest and recreation.
It won’t just happen. Hebrews 4:1-13 tells us that we are to enter God’s rest and Exodus 20:8-11 tells us to;
“Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”
There is an active move on our part as it relates to rest. Sabbath throughout Scripture is an intentional thing, not something that is thrown together at the end.
The reality in being intentional also comes into play when it comes to our calendars and how we spend our time.
Our lack of rest, while we often blame others, really comes down to our problem of stopping, trusting God and being okay with not doing certain things.
Everytime you say yes to one thing you say no to something else.
The number one complaint [many of us] hear from people is, “I don’t have time. I don’t have time for hobbies, sleep, my marriage, relationships, kids, reading my Bible.” You do, you just gave that time away.
You give your time to the things that matter most. So what gets your time is what is important. This is why taking control of your calendar matters. If you don’t control your calendar, someone else will.
3. Learn how you rest best.
What does enjoying God look like? I think there are some basic principles, but each of us will do this in unique ways. If the goal of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, Sabbath rest is a great way to do this.
For all of us, this will also include the reality of place. Place matters when it comes to glorifying God, enjoying God and resting in God.
Place is all throughout Scripture. Adam and Eve were given a garden, the nation of Israel was given a land, the church is given a city in Revelation.
There is a place where rest, connecting to God, feeling closer to God happens for each of us, and it is important to think through that. For some it is a farm, the woods, a mountain, a city, a beach, but figure it out.
4. Fight against technology.
A few practical things [can] help: resting from social media once a week, not having phones at the table so I can enjoy family time and conversations with friends, not checking email at night or on the weekends.
The sad thing is that study after study says that as we become more and more technological as a culture, we become more and more distant and lonely.
5. Review your day and week.
In his helpful book The Rest of God, Mark Buchanan says that at the end of your day ask: Where did I feel most alive, most hopeful, most in the presence of God? And where did I feel most dead, most despairing, farthest from God? What fulfilled me, and what left me forsaken? Where did I taste consolation, and where desolation?
This helps you to see where God is moving and at work. Part of Sabbath rest is celebrating that God is in control, resting in that, but also celebrating God’s goodness in our lives.
For me personally one of the things that I have instituted into my monthly routine, which has become a non-negotiable, is to take a respite day once a month and go to a place where I can relax, enjoy nature, and focus on what God is saying to me in the moment.
How about you? What do you need to do to “Create a Rhythm of Sabbath Rest” in your life? I pray that you spend the time you need to work out what works for you, so that you can live in a way that is sustainable and will help you thrive tomorrow and in the days to come.
Blessings ’til next time 🙂
The life and times of Perry... 