Sabbath as Self-Care

And its our fourth Holy Habit that closes out Part 1 of our Holy Habits series is Sabbath. Pastor Nicole called it “part 1” because this is the last holy habit that looks inward at loving ourselves.

Sabbath isn’t just about stopping. It’s about a rhythm of life, and listening. Sabbath is about stopping and trusting that our worth doesn’t come from what we produce. We live in a time and culture that glorifies hustle. But Sabbath reminds us to say; “that’s enough for today!”

Recap

We’ve been learning that when Jesus said; “Love your neighbor as yourself...” he was telling us to LOVE OURSELVES. Because, how can we be expected to love or care for anyone if we don’t first love and care for ourselves.

So far, we’ve explored the Holy Habits:

• Meditation
• Prayer
• Silence & Solitude
• Tonight we add: Sabbath

Each habit teaches us how to better care for our heart, soul, mind and body so we’re able to care for others. At Refuge, we believe that spiritual health starts from the inside out.

Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”

A Countercultural Practice

Sabbath is deeply countercultural to the world we live in. If forces us to stop. Be present. And to trust that the world doesn’t rest on our shoulders.

It’s not laziness — Sabbath is obedience. God intended Sabbath to be a life long rhythm that shapes who we are. From the very beginning God created a rhythm of stopping in EVERYTHING.

Day and night.
Summer and winter.
Our heart beats, and rests.

You Are Good

On the seventh day, God rested. God created the Sabbath and made it holy. Why? Not because God was tired but so that he could show it is okay to stop. When God created the Sabbath, God stopped — but more than that they delighted in their work. After creating everything in all of creation, God said “This is good.”

This is the part of the story where God gives us permission to stop, look at our work and be proud. Sabbath is about stepping back and trusting that we are enough exactly the way we are. When we rest in God, we learn that even the smallest of achievements are good.

Did you:
Get out of bed today?
Change out of your p-jams?
Fold laundry?
Make that appointment?

Stop. And give yourself permission to delight in you and what you are accomplishing! Because it is good and it is enough!

How To:

Again, we have no quick tips on how to master Sabbath, or any of our Holy Habits. But what Nicole does offer are some suggestions on how to begin.

• Start Small //Sabbath is intended to be a DAY, a full 24 hour. But you can’t just dive in cold. So start with 1 – 4 hours a day, where you pause and put away distractions.
• Make A Stop List //make a list of all the things you need to STOP. All the chores, and emails, and texts, and dishes… STOP IT!
• Delight // Pick something that brings you joy. An activity, a place, a song, or a bible verse. Celebrate it, delight in it, and let your heart feel peace and find joy.
• End Your Sabbath with GRATITUDE // Say thank you for the joy, for your family, for you fortress of solitude. Be thankful.