How Do You Actually Practice Sabbath When Life Is Crazy?

Mark 2:27 and learning to receive the gift of rest

By Pastor John Erickson

I used to have a pretty strong opinion about Sabbath.

It sounded like something people with very simple schedules could do. Perhaps it worked for somebody whose entire week was devoted to prayer and studying the Bible. But for people with jobs, kids, bills, and a house that somehow manages to get messy again fifteen minutes after you clean it?

Come on. Be realistic.

Then our family decided to try it. With four kids, two jobs for me, and Gina balancing substitute teaching and church responsibilities, our calendar had not suddenly become simple. We began practicing Sabbath in 2022 because we needed a different rhythm, not because we had run out of things to do.

And I discovered two things. First, I had misunderstood what Sabbath was supposed to be. Second, changing your rhythm is hard work.

Yes, I'm aware of the irony. We had to work at learning how to rest.

It Won't Feel Natural at First

Our family didn't settle into Sabbath overnight. We had to move things around, figure out what actually helped us rest, and discover what left us more exhausted.

It took three or four months for the rhythm to begin feeling normal. Eventually the change surprised us: missing Sabbath became harder than keeping it. When travel or other circumstances interrupted it, we felt the difference the following week. Missing two weeks could leave us feeling like walking zombies.

That did not happen on our first attempt. It grew through practice.

Part of the challenge is that we live in a world where being busy is almost a badge of honor. Ask somebody how they're doing and there's a good chance they'll say, "Busy!"

We say it like it's proof our lives matter.

But constant activity isn't the same as a meaningful life. You can accomplish a tremendous amount and still feel distant from God, your family, and even yourself.

The first thing Sabbath challenged in me wasn't my schedule. It was my idea of what I was worth when I wasn't producing something.

Jesus Said Sabbath Is a Gift

There's an important moment in Mark 2 when Jesus says the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

That's worth sitting with.

Jesus was responding to religious leaders who had turned a life-giving practice into a burden. They were so focused on protecting their rules that they were missing what the practice was for.

And we can do that too.

We can start with a desire to connect with God and end up making a complicated list of regulations: you can do this, you can't do that, this counts as work, that doesn't.

Pretty soon the whole family is stressed out about whether they're resting correctly.

I'm fairly certain that's not the goal.

Sabbath is a gift that serves our relationship with God and our well-being. We still need boundaries, but the boundaries should support rest, not replace it.

Make Guidelines Instead of Building a New Law

One helpful shift for us was to think in terms of guidelines and experiments rather than rules carved into stone.

For example, what should you do with your phone? You might decide to put it in another room for a while. Maybe you turn off work notifications. Maybe you need it available because of family responsibilities. There's room for wisdom.

What about cooking? For some people, preparing a meal is deeply relaxing. For others, it feels like another household job. You may find it helpful to prepare food ahead of time-or to make cooking part of the joy of the day.

And what about exercise? If your workweek keeps you at a desk, moving your body might be exactly what helps you rest. If you spend the week doing physical labor, perhaps sitting quietly would feel wonderful.

The point isn't to find a universal Sabbath activity list.

It's to pay attention to what helps you stop striving, be present, and draw near to God.

Prepare for Rest Before Rest Begins

One reason Sabbath doesn't happen is that we don't make room for it.

You can't pack every possible task into six days, leave a mountain of unfinished work for the seventh, and expect rest to magically appear.

For us, learning Sabbath meant changing other parts of the week. Some errands had to happen earlier. Some expectations needed to change. We had to decide what genuinely couldn't wait and what merely felt urgent.

That's a powerful exercise all by itself.

Sometimes we discover that our schedule is being controlled by things we never actually chose.

Sabbath gives us a reason to choose again.

Don't Forget the People You Love

One of my favorite parts of Sabbath is discovering ways to be present with family.

Think about the things your kids or spouse might actually remember. It's probably not the day you answered every email. Maybe it's making cookies, going for a walk, lighting a candle at dinner, or just being available to talk.

And if you're single or living alone, this invitation still matters. Rest can include friendship, worship, hospitality, and the pleasure of enjoying God's creation.

Sabbath is not supposed to isolate us from meaningful relationships. It creates space for them.

Try One Rhythm and Adjust It

If you're waiting until life gets easier before you start, here's the problem: life has an amazing ability to remain complicated.

So try something.

Pick a regular time. Clear away some obligations. Choose one practice that helps you be aware of God and one activity that genuinely brings delight. Tell the people affected by your schedule what you're trying to do.

Then pay attention. Did you feel more present? What was difficult? What needs adjusting?

Don't turn one awkward attempt into a reason to quit. A new habit takes practice.

For our family, Sabbath became less about doing a day perfectly and more about learning to live differently. We were discovering that rest isn't something to earn after everything is finished.

It's something God invites us to receive in the middle of ordinary life.