How Keeping the Sabbath Can Save Your Life
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How many of us actually keep the Sabbath these days? Do we really set aside the whole day for prayer, relaxation, and communion with our fellowship and families, or do we try to sneak in a few errands? Maybe we get a little extra work done during the weekend, or catch up on chores that were left undone throughout the week. Maybe we don't take any time off at all, skip church, and make it a regular day.
In these hectic modern times where we're always trying to do more with fewer hours, it can be hard to keep the Sabbath. But you should. Not only is keeping the Sabbath one of the Ten Commandments handed down from God (which should be good enough reason right then and there), but scheduling real time for rest and relaxation with your family might be one of the best things you can do for your health and mental well being.
Many of us, most of us, live in a perpetual state of low-to-moderate stress. Our 24/7 society has many of us working odd hours, long hours, and trying to cram every other obligation into an increasingly crowded schedule. It's too much.
Chronic stress isn't just an annoyance that leaves us exhausted and snippy towards each other, it's a health concern. When under stress, the body produces the same hormones that trigger the fight-or-flight response, momentarily spiking our adrenal systems. But, adrenaline is supposed to be for clutch situations where a sudden boost of energy is necessary to avoid harm. When you live with that switch turned on all the time, the body doesn't know what to do with it.
Under chronic stress conditions, the body begins to produce other hormones that throw our natural rhythms into chaos. These hormones are linked with health issues as varied as digestive problems, acne, and weight gain, and as grave as heat disease, diabetes, and depression. Our "always on” lifestyle is literally working many of us into the grave.
The Sabbath is the cure to that. A solid day where you finally switch off and reconnect with what's important, what you're working for in the first place. Block off the Sabbath for a day of celebration with the lord. Join with your brothers and sisters in Christ at Church and take the rest of the day off to spend with your family and friends.
Resist the urge to peek at your inbox or run a quick errand. Don't take calls or talk shop on the Lord's day. Go for a hike with your spouse, read a new book, play with the kids, and enjoy living.
While we might take pride in our work ethic, it's important to remember that the Bible takes play seriously as well. Not only is the Sabbath intended by God as both a means of deepening our relationship with Him and recovering ourselves physically and spiritually from week to week, the Bible also outlines other days of relaxation and celebration. Look at Numbers 10:10, Israel was supposed to have days of gladness, celebratory festivals designed to reflect on their fortune and blessings. Then there is the Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
These were times God specifically set aside for the Israelites to gather together and celebrate. God takes celebration seriously and wants us to nourish ourselves spiritually and emotionally by enjoying the gift of life He has given us.
Turn it off for the Sabbath. Tell your employer you can't work Sundays, plan ahead and do any necessary chores or errands ahead of time, and keep your mind from wandering back to work. It might seem impossible with the breakneck pace of things these days, but taking a solid day of real rest each day of the week might just be the best thing you've ever done for your spiritual, physical, and metal health.
