• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Amy Hoogervorst

Integrative Health and Wellness Coach

  • WHAT IS HEALTH COACHING?
  • ABOUT AMY
  • SERVICES
  • BLOG
    • FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY
    • MIND-BODY CONNECTION
    • MOVEMENT, EXERCISE AND REST
    • NUTRITION
    • PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
    • RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNICATION
  • GET STARTED
    • SCHEDULE A FREE CALL
    • ACCESS FREE RESOURCES
    • VIEW ARCHIVED VIDEOS

Aug 5, 2016
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY

Worn Down and Out? On the Importance of the Sabbath

In my youth, Sabbath meant attending church in the morning, sharing a meal with extended family later in the day, and not having a to-do list otherwise.

Sometimes, my grandfather would take us to G.C. Murphy’s, the five-and-dime down the road, since the mall was further away and many stores there were shut on Sundays. I would pick out a new book or Barbie doll clothes. After working all week at his country store and on the farm, my grandfather enjoyed this adventure. So did my sister and I.

We valued and measured Sunday time differently then.

“Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work – you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.”

— Exodus 20: 8-11 (NRSV)

Today, my Sundays often include church, but the rest of the day can be a blur. A son’s hockey game, a restaurant meal, a luxurious afternoon nap on occasion, and an assortment of tasks that still “need” to get done. While not a full day of work, the rhythm of my Sabbath still is not one of full rest.

I apparently am not alone.

Dr. Matthew Sleeth says that it’s only taken one generation for most of us to forget the Sabbath and no longer observe the fourth commandment.

Technology has created in us the yearning to be connected to work and the rest of the world twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, he explains. What we don’t finish in six days spills over to the seventh. Youth sports and activities take place seven days a week. It’s go-go-go all the time, for many of us.

But in the absence of stillness and rest, Sleeth adds, what suffers is our own personal health and our relationship with God.

And it’s a choice.

Sleeth is a former emergency-room physician and the founder of Blessed Earth, a nonprofit focused on creation care. He is the author of 24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life.  He spoke last weekend at the church I grew up attending, advocating for a return to making one day a week a holy day of rest.

 “The ideal is praying and playing, not working,” he says.

Sleeth says that today we might define rest and work differently than previous generations. For those who farmed the land, rest meant not working in the garden. Today, one for whom work constitutes pressing computer keys and working indoors, spending time in the garden might be restful.

But what hasn’t changed through the generations, he says, is our definition of commerce, earning money and spending money. Above all, he tries to keep his Sabbath commerce-free. If he and his wife Nancy go out to lunch on Sundays, they tip 100 percent of the bill and include a note on the check: “God bless you. Sorry to make you work on Sunday.”

Sleeth also notes that Sabbath doesn’t have to be on Sunday. Because of his travel and speaking schedule, often they begin their Sabbath at sundown Friday with a meal, and then spend Saturday doing those things that bring rest, renewal and reverence.

He says he bases his decisions of what to do on the Sabbath on Philippians 4:8:

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

His website, sabbathliving.org, offers resources for starting and continuing a Sabbath practice. Here are a few tips, taken from that website:

  • Talk with your family and decide how you want to celebrate the Sabbath.
  • Take off your watch and remove all reminders of work during the Sabbath day.
  • Take a media fast.
  • Avoid eating out, buying things, and driving (except to church).
  • Spend at least ten minutes completely surrounded by nature.

The Sleeths began keeping Sabbath when their children were young teenagers, and they said it made them “odd” to their friends at first. But, Nancy Sleeth says, it was a great way for them to practice being odd and counter-cultural with lower stakes, before facing some other pressures in their later teens. Their now-grown children still keep Sabbath.

“In adopting a 24/6 life, we put God back into the equation,” writes Matthew Sleeth in his book, 24/6. “We leave some of the figuring out to him. We recharge our batteries with the energy that comes only through stopping, and we become more generous with the gifts God has given us.”

Do you observe a Sabbath? What does that look like? If not, what prevents you from doing so? Is it something you can start?

Welcome! If you’re new here and don’t want to miss a thing, be sure to CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE to the Faith & Sweat blog updates. Know a friend who would like this? Please share. Thanks for visiting!

Tweet
Share
Pin

Don’t Miss out

Join our newsletter to get all the latest!

Previous Post: « Faith & Sweat: Battling Addiction, Moment by Moment, Day by Day
Next Post: Heads Up, Phones Down: A Rule for Life in the 21st Century »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicole Akers says

    August 17, 2016 at 7:32 pm

    A fine reminder to remember to allow the body to rest. Rest is necessary to rejuvenate the body and spirit. It is a necessity, not the thing we remember to do when we aren’t busy. Rest is good for the soul.

Primary Sidebar

MEET AMY

Hi! I'm Amy Hoogervorst, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, integrative health coach, and creative entrepreneur offering grace and space for a healthier you. Read More…

Latest on the Blog

healthy aging requires intentional effort. These 7 habits will boost your life span and your health span

Aging is a given, if we’re fortunate, but healthy aging isn’t a guarantee. Americans are living longer than in previous generations, yet today more than 6 in 10 adults have at least one chronic condition that can affect not only length of life but quality of life. And a short list of risk behaviors cause […]

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Latest on Instagram

Ahhh, spring. It feels like a new start, doesn't i Ahhh, spring. It feels like a new start, doesn't it? Think Nature feels guilty about that new start?

You can create a new start, too, anytime. If your habits around sleep, stress, nutrition, or physical activity aren't where you want them to be, you're allowed to restart as many times as you need to.

And, just as a new season builds on a former one, you can use what you've learned in the past in your new season. You're probably further along than you think.

Start over, in your time. Look for the beauty along the way. And keep going, through the cloudy, rainy days too.

#yesyoucan #start #restart #spring #newbeginnings #healthylifestyle #graceandspaceforahealthieryou #integrativehealthcoach #healthyhabits #itsalwaystoosoontoquit #keepgoing
"never feel guilty for starting again" - Rupi Kaur "never feel guilty for starting again" - Rupi Kaur

From Saturday's Well Check email, on starting and restarting. Sign up to receive future issues for free in your inbox. 

#quotes #rupikaur #healthylifestyle #start #restart #health #wellcheck #pillarsofhealth #sleep #nutrition #movement #relaxation #wellness #integrativehealthcoach #graceandspaceforahealthieryou
Welcome, 2021. Welcome, 2021.
🤣 For the record, I almost always make a salad 🤣 For the record, I almost always make a salad on Thanksgiving - and rarely eat it.

#thanksgiving #givemecranberrysauce #turkey #stuffing #sweetpotatoes #thesaladisobligatory #forbalance #greenbeans #comfortfood #nutrition #nurture #freshfood #eatyourveggies #integrativehealthcoach #graceandspaceforahealthieryou
Follow on Instagram

Tags

accountability anxiety best self books challenge choices coaching dreams exercise faith faith and sweat fitness friends goals habits health health coaching healthy eating healthy food healthy lifestyle holidays inflammation memories mindful mindfulness mindset movement nutrition perseverance personal growth PhotoOrganize Me photos recipes resources rest self-care sleep social media stewardship stories stress sugar wellness what i learned Youngevity
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • DISCLOSURES
  • CONTACT
© 2021 Amy Hoogervorst - All Rights Reserved

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Amy Hoogervorst
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.