One of the challenges I received last year as a Barnabas was to practice Sabbath. I study engineering, so I convinced myself that I didn’t have time for Sabbath. I let my classes and anxiety crowd out this spiritual practice. However, as I set goals for 2025, I felt convicted to take Sabbath seriously. It was amazing.

Why Sabbath?

Sabbath is the antidote to a culture that praises busyness. We run ourselves into the ground trying to take on more, hoping to find fulfillment as the pressure mounts. This busyness also erodes our ability to engage. We cannot substantively engage with God, others or even our own souls if we are always moving. Sabbath flips this script on its head by giving us the space necessary to be fully present. Feeling overrun by life may feel like a barrier to Sabbath, but it is actually an indicator you need a Sabbath.

Sabbath myths

I initially had a narrow view of Sabbath that limited my ability to fully commit, so allow me to debunk some myths about Sabbath.

I have to Sabbath on Sunday.

For some people, Sunday will not work. I take my Sabbath on Sundays, but Pastor Mary Hulst takes her Sabbath on Mondays because that is what works best for her schedule. I could Sabbath on Tuesdays since I don’t have class, I just prefer Sunday. Sabbath does not have to happen on a Sunday, it just needs to happen.

I have to Sabbath for one full calendar day.

I encourage a full-day Sabbath, but Sabbath does not have to be 24-hours or align with a day of the week. I Sabbath from the time I go to bed Saturday to the time I eat dinner Sunday. This allows me the flexibility to do a couple hours of work if I desperately need to before classes on Monday. My friend Sabbaths from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday. Maybe you want to Sabbath from dinner on Tuesday through lunch on Wednesday. I encourage getting as close to a full day as possible, but it is not required, and your Sabbath by no means has to align with the calendar.

I have to pray and read my Bible alone for a whole day.

While these are fantastic ways to spend a Sabbath, they are once again not required. A Sabbath consists of the following: resting from ____ and delighting in ____, in order to be aware of God’s work or plans in your life. If you love exercise and are overwhelmed with homework, you can rest from school and delight in going to the gym and taking some time to be aware of God’s blessing of nutrition. One of my friends bakes on her Sabbath while I read and write on mine (this piece was written during Sabbath). You also don’t have to Sabbath alone. You could host craft days for a Sabbath practice. If you are an extrovert, ask a friend—or a few—to join you on your Sabbath endeavor.

Sabbaths are days off.

“A day off is a bastard Sabbath,” writes Eugene Peterson. I can have a day off where I dual-screen Netflix and Instagram, but that is not a Sabbath. A Sabbath, however you spend it, is a time of rest for God to engage with and replenish you. While an episode of a show could be a meaningful part of a Sabbath, I encourage avoiding devices. I have my phone set up to restrict most apps on Sunday and I use focus mode to deter myself from anything other than my reading, writing or friends. These habits make the Sabbath even more fulfilling. I feel powerful going a whole day barely looking at my phone, like I’m rejecting modernity and reaching a new plane of existence. I am allowed to refocus the Sabbath on God by limiting the distractions, including work, to give God some space to speak to me.

Sabbath is going to be so easy.

Somehow, rest is one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I still struggle a year later. Resting while in the midst of my addiction to hurry felt wrong and I still sometimes feel like I should be doing work instead. I need Sabbath to force me to slow down, to experience God, which is arguably the most productive thing I could be doing.

The hardest part lately has been keeping my devices at bay. I instated restrictions on social media and notifications to combat this, but habits are hard to break, so keeping YouTube at arms length during my day of rest is its own challenge. Other times I feel overwhelmed. I want to write, journal, read and play a game all at the same time and I have to choose which way I want to spend that particular Sabbath. While at times disappointing, it is encouraging that I get to make such a choice. 

The part that has been easier than expected is managing homework. School was the primary fear that initially prevented me from taking Sabbath seriously, but the truth is Sabbath motivates me throughout the week. It makes Saturday evening the due date for  Monday’s homework assignments. I have to get my work done across the week because I am unable to do so on Sunday. I have noticed a significant increase in my midweek productivity since beginning a regular Sabbath practice, in part because I am motivated to keep Sunday free, and in part because I am replenished by the rest when the week begins. 

Being aware

Learning to rest has been incredibly difficult, yet fulfilling in a way I struggle to put into words. It’s the antithesis of anxiety. Even in the midst of busy or difficult weeks, Sabbaths are a light at the end of the tunnel. A chance to rest from school and work, delight in my hobbies and friends and be aware of the blessing of time that God has given me.