By Chrissy Tatum Williamson

I can’t remember the name of the book I was reading, but I know it was written by Barbara Brown Taylor. I can tell you exactly where the words were on the page (left side, last couple of lines on the page). When I read the words, I felt utterly convicted: 

If you do not take Sabbath, your body will take it for you. 

I’ve tried to remember these words and allow them to humble me when I think I can do everything. …all the time… without pause. I’m only telling you this because I suspect many of you are wired exactly the same way. There are all kinds of cultural messages that encourage and support this behavior. But here’s the thing, going non stop, all the time, will spoil our souls before it sorely damages our bodies. 

Perhaps this is the reason for the commandment: 

Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8)

We need a reminder, and one to take seriously, before we succumb to societal expectations around work, and in so doing neglect our souls. It is serious work – remembering to stop our work – Jesus dealt with it too. Remember when the devil tempted him in the wilderness just after his baptism? The first temptation was to turn stones into bread to address his hunger. Jesus responded saying, “Man does not live on bread alone.” In other words, we need more than material stuff (and sustenance) to survive and thrive. That “more” is spiritual sustenance and in order to make space for it, we have to rest. 

I did a quick poll on Facebook this week: How do you know when you’re tired? I asked. I got lots of responses. I get cranky with my spouse. My eyes close as soon as I sit still. Every little thing starts to bother me. I can’t focus… As I read the responses I felt such solidarity because I realized, we all know this fatigue. Whether it comes from working our jobs too hard or sustaining a family schedule that doesn’t include (much less prioritize) rest, we are all tired. 

I’ve had the privilege of planning a sabbatical for this summer. What this means is that for the last 24 months, I’ve had to intentionally think about what rest actually looks like in my life. In this series of blogs, I hope to share some of that planning journey with you. I don’t do this as a way of bragging about this incredible opportunity that you and the Lilly Foundation have afforded me, but as a way of inviting you into a rhythm of intentional rest. What kind of pastor would I be if I didn’t invite you / remind you about Sabbath? 

So for today, let’s just make it simple: Look at your life and see if you’re tired (and know that I’m still looking at mine).

Once we can acknowledge that we are tired.. then we can take another step toward sabbath rest.