I’m a brain research nerd.
Because I work with victims of severe trauma- children and adult- I am regularly steeped in studies that show the effect of trauma in the body, the nervous system, and especially on the brain. As a person of Christian faith, it is impossible for me to be immersed in this research, see it manifested on a daily basis in clients, and not connect it to the way God, in His wisdom and grace, wired us in the first place.
For years, much of the focus of brain study was asking the question, “What is happening when the brain is active?” Now that the studies have somewhat shifted to, “What is happening when the mind is at rest?” we have quantifiable evidence of what scripture tells us. Think of the Ten Commandments; keeping Sabbath is on par with refraining from murder. Think of the year of Jubilee. Think of the fact that in Jesus’ own ministry He did not work Himself to the bone and then rest, He worked out of rest, after abiding in the Father’s presence. God gave us rhythms for a reason. We just have to believe that He knows what we need better than we do. In fact, one of the first things we read about Him is that He rested!
It turns out when the mind is at rest, dispersed brain areas are communicating back-and-forth and repairing connections that were weakened by over-activity. Similarly, we now know the incredible effect of deep breathing on our overall health. When we intentionally practice deep breathing, the extra oxygen calms the brain; the brain then sends the message to the body to relax as well. When the relaxation message is sent to the body, it reduces inflammation and stress, which in turn keeps us from all kinds of more severe consequences. Brain and body calming exercises can literally re-wire damage that has been done through trauma, chronic stress, and disease. The brain can learn how to bring us back to health if we just…stop.
Sabbath Means Stop
“The seduction of leadership, the grind of ministry, the brokenness of our culture, and the pace of twenty-first-century life create an environment in which it’s very challenging to stay healthy at a soul level.” (Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul by Lance Witt)
For almost 10 years I have been banging the proverbial drum for the practice of Sabbath. The obedient, oldest child in me says things like, “So it’s fine that this is an actual commandment from God and we’ve totally ignored it in the western church for decades so that we could become famous leaders? Cool cool cool.” However, my passion for encouraging Sabbath mostly stems from deep grief and tenderness I feel for my sisters and brothers of faith that find themselves in a seemingly empty relationship with this God they have dedicated their lives to. Not only is my own longing for true and life-giving encounter with Jesus at the forefront of my days, I long for it for everyone else! And with what I know about the nature of God and the nature of humans from scripture, we can’t sustain much of anything of value without regular Sabbath.
Sabbath literally means, “to rest from labor or work.” Another way to think of it is, “to cease.” For some reason, thinking of Sabbath as “stop” holds a lot of weight for me personally.
Me: But I have all this—
Jesus: Stop.
Me: But it’s for YOU—
Jesus: Stop.
Me: I’ll feel so much better if—
Jesus: Stop.
Me: I can’t actually enjoy—
Jesus: Oh, for goodness’ sake. Stop. I will take care of it. You have to stop.
The Compulsion To Be Busy
This is so perfectly demonstrated in a well-known account of two sisters in Luke 10:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I want to state up front that I will never be the kind of person that condemns Martha. I get her. I’m a do-er. I have a lot of energy, I want everyone to be taken care of, I’m on her side, and so is Jesus by the way. But what He says in that moment is, “Mary has chosen what is right and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:42) Mary chose to rest from the work when she needed to. Mary chose to stop. Mary chose a life-giving encounter with her Lord and Teacher over the compulsion to be busy. The compulsion to produce. The compulsion to prove her worth by working. (I feel the urge to express a caveat: this is not endorsing selfish laziness either, but that’s a different article.)
As a Spiritual Director and pastor, I deal daily in the mystery that is spiritual transformation in Jesus. I long for it, I hold space for it, I foster it, and I desire it for everyone. Because we were all created differently and specifically, pick your focus:
Glory to God? Intimacy with Jesus? Hearing God’s voice? Action in the Kingdom?
I ask in the most humble way: How do we even attempt such noble and wonderful and weighty goals without Sabbath?
If you’re thinking to yourself, “This is all well and good but how do I actually practice ‘stopping’?” you are a person after my own heart. Here are a few tools to get you started if you desire to respond to God’s invitation to intimacy and transformation through the beautiful rhythms He has already put in place for us:
Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry
Firstly, Dallas said it best: Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.
- Find 5 minutes in a quiet space for deep breathing. Breathe in for 4 counts while saying in your mind, “Abba Father”, hold 4 counts, breathe out for 4 counts while saying in your mind, “I am Yours.” Repeat at least 4 times. This is called a breath prayer. You can also use a short phrase from any scripture or prayer, breathing in on the first part, and out on the second part.
- Find 10 minutes of silence and solitude and ask yourself, “What fosters joy in me?”
- Find 10 minutes of silence and solitude and ask yourself, “When do I feel the most connected to Jesus?”
- Find 10 minutes of silence and solitude and ask yourself, “When do I feel the most tenderness toward others?”
- Find 45 minutes of study time. With your favorite scripture, record one word or phrase that sticks out to you. Sit with that word or phrase and ask the Holy Spirit why it sticks out. Hold the word or phrase in your mind as you rest in stillness for the last 5 minutes of your time.
In Luke 10:24, Jesus said to the disciples, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to heart what you hear, and did not hear it.” I don’t want to miss it because I was too busy, too tired, too sick, too wired, too worried, or too focused on the “treasures of this world.”
Practicing Sabbath helps.
Here is your invitation from the Lover and Keeper of your soul.
The Sabbath literally means "to stop." How do I actually practice stopping in my own life? How do I fight the compulsion to be busy, so that I can experience life-giving encounters with Christ? Click To TweetResources:
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Transforming Resources) by Ruth Haley Barton
The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
Connecting Paradigms by Matthew S. Bennett
Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul by Lance Witt
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster
