Sabbath and Karate Kid

Yesterday I fell asleep on the back porch. I had been reading a book after a long hot day in the sun. The cool breeze on my face was comforting and the chirping of the crickets and songbirds had lulled me to sleep.

After I awoke, I had questions. When was the last time I had fallen asleep outside? Had that ever happened? Maybe as a young child on a camping trip? Yet nothing came to mind as I attempted to remember lazy summer days of long ago.

I have the quarantine to thank for my afternoon porch nap. It’s been such a peaceful, slow-paced season for our family and I’m grateful to have a few lazy days at home.

Yet I know there are others who feel differently. I was talking to a friend recently who was telling me just how difficult it was to work from home while simultaneously taking care of her children. Stress levels were increasing and “home” no longer felt like, well, home.

I don’t know what your situation is. Whether you’re grateful for a season of unhurried leisurely afternoons or whether family life is demanding and fraught with frustration and pressure.

I do know, however, that God wants to give us rest. He created the Sabbath for just that purpose.

I was recently reading Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge, and was stopped in my tracks by these words:

“You break the Sabbath if, come Sunday night, you’re exhausted…”

What are your thoughts when you read that?

Back before COVID-19, life was pretty hectic. Working full-time, running a household, shuttling kids to after-school activities – it was busy and stressful. Saturdays were our “catch-up” days consisting of running errands, doing yard work, and completing chores around the house in preparation for the upcoming week. Whatever didn’t get finished on Saturday was then carried over to be completed on Sunday between our many church activities.

I can’t ever remember a Sunday night when I didn’t feel exhausted.

So much of our busyness stems from a fear of what people might think of us if we don’t do all the things. Yet as John Eldredge so eloquently puts it, the “fear of what people might think (which, ironically, is sin)” leads us to break the Sabbath more often than not.

How does your family implement the practice of Sabbath? Or do you implement it at all? Our family doesn’t have a Sabbath practice per se, but I really want to find more space in our week to rest, especially as life is on the verge of returning to “normal.”

Here are a few ways to begin a Sabbath practice:

• Take a break from social media one evening a week. This will allow your mind to focus on more important things and take away much of the comparison and FOMO that we all feel when scrolling through our feeds.
• Find 30-60 minutes a day to do something that refuels you. Maybe it’s reading, maybe it’s napping, maybe it’s trying out a new recipe. Whatever it is, make space in your day for something life-giving to you.
• Set aside an afternoon once a week where everyone in the house goes to their own separate corners. Provide the kids with books or quiet games and crafts while the littlest ones nap.

Sabbath was created for us in order for our minds and bodies to rest in preparation for what lies ahead. It was also created so that we could listen to the Lord without distraction.

I recently rewatched the 2010 remake of Karate Kid and was struck by the words of kung fu master Mr. Han.

“Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.”

I don’t think Mr. Han was a theologian but he definitely had some wise things to say.

Today, I want to hear what the Lord is telling me. But I can’t do that without being still before Him.

I would love to hear your Sabbath practices. How will you implement the Sabbath into your routine this week?