If I’m honest, the word “rest” hasn’t always felt safe to me. Rest used to feel like cheating. Like pausing meant falling behind or shirking responsibility, like stillness was somehow failure. But throughout this chronic illness journey, I’ve been learning to see rest as something sacred. Something holy. Something I desperately need, not just physically, but spiritually, emotionally, mentally. I ignored that need for so long that I found myself utterly burned out – and sick. I’m learning that rest isn’t a retreat from growth, it’s the soil I grow from. This summer, I’m choosing to embrace the Sabbath, not as an interruption, but as an invitation.
To Embrace the Sabbath is Not Lazy, It’s Obedient
The Sabbath wasn’t just a suggestion God made to help us slow down. It was a commandment woven into creation itself. On the seventh day, God rested. He set the example, knowing we’d try to run ourselves into the ground chasing purpose, perfection, and productivity. If the Creator of the universe took time to pause, who am I to think I don’t need to?
Sometimes, we confuse burnout for faithfulness. We think pushing past our limits proves our dedication. But what if real faithfulness means trusting that even when we rest, God is still working? What if our greatest strength this summer is surrender?
What if the most faithful thing you can do right now is embrace the Sabbath and let God meet you in the quiet?
He wants our hearts surrendered to Him, and part of that is trusting in His commandments; trusting Him enough to rest in Him.
The Sabbath Is for Healing
The Sabbath isn’t just about napping (though, please nap if you want to). It’s about restoration. A chance to silence the noise, shut down the hustle, and come back to the quiet voice that says, “You are already enough.”
Rest gives God room to minister to the places we’ve been too busy to notice are suffering. This is where my life went horribly wrong.
This summer, I’m giving myself permission to breathe. To sit under the sun without guilt. To read something for joy, not for growth. To pray without an agenda. To take long walks. To feel. To be. Maybe you need that too. Maybe your soul is crying out for stillness.
Maybe it’s time to embrace the Sabbath and let your soul be still long enough to exhale.
Rest Teaches Us to Receive
When we rest, we remember that we’re not God. We stop striving. We let go. And in that empty space, we learn to receive again. How are we to receive His peace, His presence, His provision, if we never sit still and listen? If we don’t stop long enough to just be with Him?
You don’t have to earn your way to grace. You don’t have to fix yourself before He can heal you. Rest is the posture of open hands and an open heart crying “God, I’m here. I’m tired. But I’m willing to receive whatever You want to give.”
Rest is a doorway to intimacy.
Rest Is an Act of Trust
Letting go of control is terrifying. If I’m not the one holding everything together, who will? If I stop, will it all fall apart? Do I really trust Him to work everything out for my good?
Oh, the fear we must confront to embrace the Sabbath. I’m afraid that’s the result of a man-made trap; of a false standard we’ve that has imprisoned us for far too long.
The Sabbath asks us to trust that while we rest, God keeps working. That He doesn’t need our constant effort to move mountains. That His provision doesn’t depend on our performance. The world might be spinning fast, but God’s pace is steady. His timing is perfect. And when we embrace rest, we practice radical trust. We choose to believe that God is faithful even when we are still.
To embrace the Sabbath is to say, “God, I believe You’re enough, even when I do nothing at all.”
Make Room for Sacred Pauses
Here’s how I’m intentionally embracing Sabbath rest this summer. and maybe these practices will help you, too:
- Set a weekly Sabbath day: One day where work stops. To-do lists are set aside. Phones are put down. And your only job is to enjoy God and His gifts.
- Create rhythms of rest: Mornings on the porch. Evening walks. Worship without a purpose other than communion. These little moments build a lifestyle of rest.
- Practice soul rest, not just physical rest: Let your mind wander to beauty, not stress. Journal. Meditate on scripture. Listen to music that puts your mind on Him.
- Say no more often: Rest requires boundaries. Protect your peace the way you’d protect a fragile flower; with care, time, and space to just be.
- Invite God into your rest: Ask Him to show you what your soul needs in this season. Maybe it’s silence. Maybe it’s laughter. Maybe it’s deep, restorative sleep. Trust that He knows.
- Worship without an agenda: Sabbath is a time to be with God, not just do things for Him. Worship simply. Pray honestly. Let Him speak into the stillness.
- Limit digital noise: Silence your phone for a few hours or turn off social media completely. Sometimes, the biggest barrier to Sabbath rest is distraction.
- Rest without guilt: There will always be more to do. But we are humans, not robots. God delights in us even when we’re not productive. So let go and let God.
A Final Word for the Weary
If you’re like me, rest feels risky. But this summer, I want to challenge us both: Risk the rest. Let Sabbath be your sanctuary. Let it be the place where God meets you, not because you’re doing something, but simply because you’re willing to stop. You don’t have to earn the right to slow down. Rest is your inheritance. It’s a gift. It’s holy.
So, this summer, pause. Breathe. Receive. Let your soul lie still long enough to remember what joy feels like. And trust that God is still working, even while you rest.
For ways to incorporate slow living this summer, check out this post.
