I have been practicing Sabbath for almost ten years now but I might just now be learning what it means to take a Sabbath.

Shortly after Amanda and I were married and began pastoring in Vale, Oregon, we went on a retreat designed for those in the process of ordination. One of the workshops was put together by Dr. Ed Robinson and was about Sabbath. Every week, we need a 24 hour period of rest. What do you do on the Sabbath? Nothing. This is not a day off. This is not a day to catch up on all those activities at home that you have put off throughout the week. This is a day to cease. Do only those things that bring you renewal and life.

Amanda and I have credited that workshop as saving our lives and our marriage from the outset. We easily could have fallen into the trap of never finding time for deep renewal that our Sabbath-keeping brought us.

However, over time I have learned that I still did not properly understand Sabbath. For me, Sabbath became “a day off”. No, I did not fall into the trap of turning it into a day of chores. But it did not become a day of rest and deep renewal. While it was not filled with work, it was still filled with noise and activity. If I were to drive up into the hills to fish or hike, I would spend the time listening to a podcast or some music. If I stayed at home I would watch TV or a movie, or perhaps even just mindlessly scroll the internet or watch Youtube videos. I would veg. I practiced leisure but not rest.

Here are some things that I did not do (or rarely did) on my Sabbaths: sit without visual or audible noise. Pray and contemplate. Meditate on scripture. Pay attention to my breathing. 

I was listening to a podcast several months back with Andy Crouch. He said there is a difference between rest and leisure. Today, we get a lot of leisure time, but not much rest. Leisure often involves a different kind of work. Think about taking a cruise – which includes all the hassle of travel. It is not work in the sense of occupation or chores, but it keeps our minds and bodies busy. Watching a movie may not feel like work, but it keeps our minds active as we process everything we see and hear (not to mention how much work was involved in the production of the movie). Rest looks less like entertainment and more like sitting on the porch and watching the birds. Rest can be a bit boring.

But when we rest and allow ourselves to get bored, our thoughts can once again turn to God. When the noise is removed we can begin to hear what God might have to say.

This last week was one of the first true Sabbaths I think I ever had. I slept in. Shortly after waking up I prayed the psalms, drove up to the lake to do a little fishing. I never turned on the radio. The drive up and down the hill was a much needed break from noise and distraction. While I fished, I read just a couple chapters in a book but mainly just sat, watched, and listened. I got home, cleaned the fish, ate lunch, puttered around for a bit, read to my daughter, encouraged my 5-month old son to crawl, barbecued hamburgers, and read a few more chapters in my book. Finally, I spent some time in the evening on the swing in our backyard and just sat, watched, and listened. I was. Other than sending a few text messages to my wife and turning on a TV show for my daughter, it was a day completely unplugged from technology.

At the end of the day I felt both tired and renewed. The day had been filled with silence that gave me ample opportunity to think (and not think) and pray and be.  It has taken me almost ten years of practicing Sabbath to learn how to do Sabbath. It might take me another ten years to learn how to do Sabbath well. This is why the spiritual disciplines are practices. We do not master them, we practice them. We make attempts and fail and make adjustments. We learn what works and what does not. All along the way, God takes our hand and guides us. We hold on tight and continue in the long obedience in the same direction.