Sabbath Rest is something a lot of parents would say they are missing in their life. We would love for rest to come easy, but did you know that rest is a spiritual discipline? Rest is something we practice – and when we practice this spiritual discipline we will find that even parenthood can be rest-full!
God’s Example of Rest
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 2:2-3, ESV
Sabbath Rest Is Not a Reward
Can I be honest? I’ve often seen rest as just a reward for hard work. I actually thought that if I didn’t do enough during the week I didn’t deserve to rest on the weekend. If I didn’t work hard enough during the day I had to catch up until I had done enough to go to sleep. I cannot begin to tell you how unhealthy this is – but you probably already know that.
Rest is Holy.
The problem was that I didn’t see rest as something holy. But the idea of taking a sabbath rest – a day of to stop working, stop striving, and just be – didn’t seem like something I could do.
Admittedly, as a mom, it’s hard to find rest. But if God made time for rest, I should be able to find rest. I should be able to live from a place of rest and not of striving. If we’re going to have restful parenthood, we need to start with the realization that we are not God.
Realizing I am not God
This realization may seem obvious. However, so often we try to live like we are the ones who are all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing. We think we have to accomplish it all. We’re convinced we can be in multiple places at once. And we try our hardest to know all the answers to the questions our children ask.
Modern conveniences make it easy to pretend we’re God. I can sit in my PJs eating breakfast while listening to the Sunday morning message at a church on the other side of the country.
I’m all-present, both at home and at church… except I’m not.
I have all the answers to any question right at my fingertips through my phone. How big is a stegosaurus? Between 21-30 feet long! Why is broccoli green? Because of chlorophyll (which will inevitably lead to, “what is chlorophyll?”)
I’m all-knowing… If only I could remember when I need to switch the laundry.
I can survive on little sleep with enough coffee and carbs. Maybe I can work 2 jobs, feed the kids mostly organic foods, and make sure everyone does their homework and gets to bed on time. On the weekends I can do housework, yard work, pick up extra work and still make it to church for an hour. I’m a powerhouse… or so they say. But honestly, this lifestyle leads to burnout and frustration faster than my kids can wolf down a fresh stack of pancakes.
I am not God.
Once I came to the realization that I am not God and that I don’t have to be Him, life got a whole lot more restful. But now I had to learn what rest actually was.
Understanding Sabbath Rest
Growing up in church we all memorized the 10 commandments including the one about honoring the sabbath and keeping it holy. I remember hearing that to honor the sabbath you have to go to church.
More recently I heard a pastor talk about how the Sunday church service is the sabbath. He seemed to think, or at least convey that as long as you showed up to church on a Sunday morning (or another service during the week) you were fulfilling the sabbath.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe that going to church is important. The church is often a place we can find rest. But I don’t think this is what that command is really about. Rest is a whole lot more than an hour long break at the beginning of the week.
Understanding the Sabbath
Sabbath started in Genesis, when God rested from his work of creation. Scripture says God made the 7th day holy. It was designed for rest. In Exodus, God institutes the Sabbath and tells the Israelites that the 7th day would be a day of rest. This wasn’t just for the Israelite nation, any slaves and strangers from other nations were to observe this rest as well. In other words, they couldn’t make their slaves do all the work while they rested. This day was to be refreshing for everyone within the nation.
“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.”
Exodus 23:12, ESV
This rest wasn’t just about doing nothing all day.
You shall remember that you were a slave[a] in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Deuteronomy 5:15, ESV
The Sabbath was a day to remember God’s power and salvation. It was a day for Israel to remind themselves that God is the ultimate provider. God worked salvation – this isn’t something they would have achieved on their own. An extra day each week of work isn’t going to change that God is the one who brings the harvest. God is in control and we are not. Sabbath Rest is about intentionally setting aside time to refocus on the goodness, power, and love of God. It’s about reminding ourselves that we are not God.
Learning to “Be Still”
One of my all-time favorite verses in scripture is one line from Psalm 46:10 that says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Sometimes to increase rest we simply need to be still. How do we “be still” between the diapers, disagreements, feeding, and cleaning of young children?
The phrase, “Be still” is the Hebrew word, “Raphah” (raw-faw). This word means to cease; to put an end to; to let alone/let go; to be faint; to sink, or relax.
When I first read this I pictured God just standing there saying, “just stop.” He is telling Israel to just stop pushing their way forward on their own. He wants them to stop stressing about every little thing. He’s telling them to just let it go and relax. God is encouraging Israel to recognize their weakness.
Today, God is telling us that we can stop trying to fulfill his mission on our own. God is God and we are not. It’s ok to be weak. Believe it or not it’s ok to mess up. You can let go. Because God is still on the throne and God is at work fulfilling His mission in us.
Rest-filled Parenthood is recognizing that God is still God and we are not. We do not have to be all knowing, all powerful, or all present. Rejoice and rest in the fact that God is. We don’t have to work hard enough to earn our rest. There is nothing we can do to remove God from His throne.
True sabbath rest is living a gospel-centered life. Knowing your worth does not come from striving. Your worth comes from your creator who knit you together in your mother’s womb. Your worth comes from God at work creating in you. Worth never comes from your work. And in that, in the gospel and salvation of Christ, we find rest. Yes, rest, even in the midst of the chaos of raising children.
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