As I reflect on the concept and practice of the Sabbath, particularly considering the information that I have been exposed to during this week, here a few thoughts.
Without any doubt, life can be constantly fast paced, constantly demanding, lacking any real intentional moment to breathe. It is like we have all the time for work, that even when we should be at rest, our minds are still going. We make time for all the work, whether professionally or otherwise. Do we make time for rest?
At the very outset, Sabbath is not for a particular denomination. Ultimately and most importantly, we all need the Sabbath. It is a gift from God to his creation for our overall health and wellness.
One of the thoughts that I found profound, was that God gave the Sabbath to the community and to the individual. I appreciate this idea because we are living in community, and we have to relate to each other in the community. While I may be considering and practicing the Sabbath, others in the community may not be observing the Sabbath at the same time. This limits the effectiveness of the individual’s practice. Hence, the parable of the Good Samaritan opened my eyes to another perspective. What if while on the way to meet the need of someone, you encounter another with a need? How do we determine who gets the attention of the Samaritan? I believe one of the messages was that we must be able to determine urgency and need. Jesus asked the religious leaders if they would not help an animal in need on the Sabbath.
At the same time, we cannot always be meeting the needs of others. We must find time to rest. In another place we may be told that our ability to minister to the needs of others depends on how we are ministered to by God. If we are “Always On” then we miss out on being refreshed and restored in the presence of God, whether by moment or season.
Additionally, Sabbath allows for that intentional “unplugging.” I have observed how life is now at our fingertips. Although technology makes our work “easier”, it has made our work more. Consequently, we seem to be always at work, then cannot spend quality time with God. This negatively impacts our relationship with our Lord. At this point, our spiritual wholeness is stunted, as our spiritual lives seem to be operating on autopilot.
In recent times, I have accepted that I cannot be always plugged in. Some of the ways I unplug is to limit my social media exposure. I decided to not have some of the platforms to redeem some the time that is spent on these platforms. Then, there are times when I limit WhatsApp time. During these moments, I get to spend time reflecting and refocusing. The practice is intentional and cannot be left up to chance otherwise we will never get the chance to rest for healthier growth. Let’s Sabbath together.
