We must practice and prioritize this founding spiritual discipline in order to access the divine rest that is so different from the rest we create for ourselves. We tend to work in order to rest, but God’s rest is not something we earn…it is a realm always available to us that we can enter.

Jesus practiced the sabbath and did not teach against it, but he was careful to not miss the point of it. He didn’t get lost in the rigorous restrictions that destroy the enjoyment and freedom the sabbath is meant to provide. He didn’t dismiss his neighbor in need or his companion's hunger but made sure they received the sustenance and healing that they needed…because that is kind of the whole point of the Sabbath.

So, what's your next step of faith?

So, how do we remember the sabbath? Well, first and foremost…we stop forgetting about it, making excuses, and neglecting it altogether. It is amazing how the life-giving rhythm of the created world written within the fabric of our DNA, modeled by God himself, and on visible display throughout all of creation somehow vanishes from our minds.

This 6+1 life-giving rhythm is established and modeled by God himself. It is the very breath that was used to create the world that sustains it. It is a progression of doing good, even very good things, that makes space for the holiness to be experienced in time.

As I did this I was worried I would wake him, that the sounds outside would scare him, and that we would be in for a long night that would turn into a long day. However, something much different happened; he simply slept contently in his father’s arms without a single worry.