Planning To Rest.

A couple of weeks ago I took a week off. My timesheet may reflect a week of vacation, but for me it was a week of sabbaths. And I planned it that way.

The word sabbath has its root in the Hebrew word, “shabbat“. Scholars believe this word is “…derived from the verb sabat, meaning to stop, to cease, or to keep.” (BibleStudyTools.com)

For Christians, it’s a day specifically set aside to stop or cease working and to rest; as God did on the seventh day of creation.

It’s beneficial for us all to take a sabbath-day each week. But taking a sabbath-week each year can have a last impact.

Vacation Time

Some of you may be thinking, “Isn’t that the same as taking a vacation?” I guess, for you it might be. But not for me.

I usually come back from a  vacation feeling like I need a vacation. I’m exhausted from the output of time, energy and finances. There never seems to be any sabbath component to my vacations.

A sabbath-week should be different. It shouldn’t drain us of our time and energy, and it certainly shouldn’t cost us anything. A sabbath-week is rejuvenating on every level of life; spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally, etc.

Jesus. Wife. Kids.

Pastor Mark Clark of The Village Church in Surrey, BC states the following priorities for his life: “Jesus. Wife. Kids. Church. City. In that order.“

I think he’s on to something. (Especially with the first 3!)

Though sabbath-rest can look very different depending on the person who is resting. For me, its focusing on my core relationships with my Saviour, my wife and my boys.

And the main reason for my week of sabbaths this past month has everything to do with the recent birth of our third son, Mark Henry Norton.

Family is too often put on the back-burner of our lives.

The addition of a new family member (young or old, regardless of the circumstance), is a great reason to pause and rest. It’s a time to embrace the new addition by giving them our most precious gift, our time.

Schedule a Sabbath-Week

Have you been convinced?

If so, get your calendar out right now. Look over the next year. Which week will you plan to rest? Which week will you plan to sabbath? Don’t wait, book it off today!

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