“We are restful when ordinary life is enough.”
Ronad Reus
When is the last time you felt truly rested? In today’s world, we often find ourselves overwhelmed with anxiety, distraction, loss of purpose. If anyone asked us why we don’t just take a day off to rest, we could easily respond that “I wish I could, I just don’t have time,” or “I’m just so busy…”
I work at a local restaurant, serving tables, and amongst the other servers there’s constant talk about how busy they are: how much they have to do, how many hours they work, how little sleep they got last night, how long it’s been since they had a day off. And the funny thing? They aren’t really complaining as much as bragging. The more you work, the higher your “status.” Sound familiar?
Our modern society is built on the premise that our lives have to be filled with productivity, meaning, efficiency. We have to do more things in less time. We must produce results. An obsession with getting more done—our focus on how little we have—results in what’s called a scarcity mindset.
A scarcity mindset means going through life thinking you don’t have enough: enough time, enough money, enough possession. You aren’t enough. And if you could only get a little more, you could be happy.
The truth is, we can make time off if we want. We can choose to rest; we have the agency to clear our calendars and say “no” to covering another shift. But honestly, I wonder how many of us are addicted to the feeling of accomplishment. Maybe we hustle through our lives, thinking busyness will offer satisfaction when really it is the opposite that gives us what we need.
Our need for rest was woven into the very fabric of what it means to be human. It doesn’t matter what your job is, or how intense your goals are—you still need sleep every night. You need time off. You need space to simply be, even if that means going against the grain of our hustle-obsessed culture. And the result is a paradox: when you rest, you have more energy to tackle projects and be productive the rest of the week.
Lately I’ve been following a series from Bridgetown Church, Portland, about how to celebrate the Sabbath in our modern world (If you’re interested, the podcast can be found here).
One of the biggest lessons I learned so far from this study is the difference between a Sabbath day and a Day Off. Have you ever had a spare day off work, only to spend it paying the bills, doing laundry, cleaning house, and watching Netflix? None of those things are bad—in fact, most of them are necessary. But none of us feel really rested when we finish, do we?
According to ancient Hebrew tradition, the original Sabbath actually begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday evening. For most of western Christians today, this means we begin at sundown Saturday night and end Sunday evening. This is actually a really neat setup, because it gives you Saturday morning and afternoon to do all your cleaning and laundry and errands. After your day of Sabbath, you have Sunday evening to prepare and plan or the upcoming week.
Sabbath will look different for everyone. But what does it look like if we spent one day every week truly resting? As I’ve been trying to find steps to recover this true rest for my soul, here are some ways that I’m beginning to practice my Sabbath day:
- a slow morning: sleeping in until I wake up naturally, stretching to wake up my body, a quiet breakfast, coffee on the porch.
- no technology: put my phone and laptop away for the day and spend time with family and friends instead.
- get outside: hike up a mountain, take a morning walk, feel the sunshine on my skin.
- time with family and friends: because friends and family make life worth living.
- reflect: cleanse my mind with journaling, prayer, and meditation.
- do what you love: whether it’s gardening, cooking a delicious meal from scratch, fiddling with various projects, throwing a football around, spending a day at the beach, getting coffee with friends, reading a book all afternoon, having a picnic, etc.
- self-care: a hot bubble bath, face mask, lighting a candle and journaling, getting plenty of sleep.
- evening routine: on Sunday evening, prep for the upcoming week: tidy and freshen my space, pack my bag, set out clothes, clear my desk/workspace, and map out my week ahead.
The life God promised us is one that overflows with rest and abundance. The Sabbath is meant to be a gift that allows us to experience life more fully, and by doing so, worship our Creator. I’m going to begin setting aside every Sunday to follow the rhythm of rest. Will you join me?
<3 Olivia Grace
