If you clicked on this blog expecting some commentary on Big Ten college football, I'm sorry to disappoint you. No predictions, rankings, or debates about who will make the playoffs. But I do want to talk about something that could be a game changer in your life. I want to give you a gift.
Technically, it isn't mine to give. But I'd love to help you discover it or perhaps rediscover it. It's a gift so important that God included it in His own version of the "Big Ten"—the Ten Commandments. And yet, it's a gift that has all but disappeared from our lives and culture.
The gift of Sabbath.
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word shabath, meaning to stop, cease, or rest. At its core, it's an invitation to step away from the demands of doing and simply be.
The biblical understanding of Sabbath begins with creation. After six days of creative work, Scripture tells us that "God rested from all his work that he had done" (Genesis 2:3).
Throughout the creation account, we see a beautiful rhythm repeated: "And there was evening and there was morning." Day one. Day two. Day three. Notice the order. Evening comes first.
In the Hebrew understanding, the day begins with evening, with rest. While we sleep, God continues His work. We wake up and are invited to participate in what He has already begun. What a wonderful reminder that the world doesn't depend on us to keep spinning!
This is what author Eugene Peterson calls the rhythms of grace. He writes, "Grace is primary. We wake into a world we didn't make, into a salvation we didn't earn." Think about that. Before we accomplish a single thing, before we check an item off our to-do list, before we even get out of bed, God's grace is already at work. And that daily rhythm of rest and work extends into a weekly rhythm through the gift of Sabbath.
I'll confess I've understood this intellectually for years but haven't always practiced it well. Like many of you, I've been guilty of filling every available moment with something productive, something necessary, something that simply couldn't wait. But one lasting gift of my sabbatical earlier this year has been a renewed appreciation for the importance of rest. Since returning, I've become much more intentional about incorporating a Sabbath day into my weekly routine.
I'm still learning, but I'm discovering that stepping away from work doesn't mean stepping away from purpose. Quite the opposite. It creates space to reconnect with God, with the people I love, and with the things that restore my soul. And perhaps most importantly, it reminds me that God is God, and I am not.
Sabbath isn't about sitting in a chair for 24 hours doing absolutely nothing. It's about intentionally making room for the things that renew us. It's time to pray and play, to rest and refuel, to contemplate and celebrate. It's also not about adding another obligation to an already overcrowded calendar. That would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? It's about receiving a gift.
As we approach the holiday season, I think this reminder is especially important. The coming weeks will bring celebrations, gatherings, shopping lists, travel plans, church activities, and countless opportunities to fill every square on our calendars. All good things, perhaps. But even good things can become exhausting when we forget the importance of balance.
So here's my encouragement: Don't let the pace of life rob you of the gift of Sabbath. After all, the God who created the universe in six days knew the value of resting on the seventh.
Maybe we should take the hint.
