In a world of side hustles and working from home it can be difficult for us to stop and rest. If we do not stop and rest from work, we can run the risk of tiring ourselves out. When we are running on empty, we can wind up being short with people, behave or in speak in a way to others in a way that we do not like. This is not loving ourselves or others well.
Thankfully, God has given us a gift, known as his Sabbath rest:
“There remains, then, a sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” – Hebrews 4:9-10
Peter Scazzero in his book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, provides two ways of entering into this rest which are modelled in Exodus and Daniel.
- Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11) – choosing a day in the week to cease from our work to do things that refuel and refresh us.
- Daily office (Daniel 6:10) – taking time out of workday to spend in God’s presence and in prayer to reorient ourselves. Daniel models stopping to pray three times a day.
These practices will assist us in entering the gift of God’s sabbath rest. This rest is for our sake and sanity. Entering this sabbath rest will help us love God, others and ourselves well.
By Drew Williams