The Sabbath Way: Finding the Rest Your Soul Craves by Travis WestНамуна

All We Have to Do Is Make Room and Show Up

Have you ever noticed how different the two versions of the fourth commandment are? The differences begin with the very first word! Exodus 20:8 implores us to “remember” the Sabbath, while Deuteronomy 5:12 invites us to “keep,” or “protect,” the Sabbath.

In Hebrew, the word remember refers to more than the mental activity of calling something to mind. It describes an embodied, participatory act involving the mind and the body, the head and the heart. It is an intentional act involving the whole person. We are called not just to think about the Sabbath, but to enter it, join it, enjoy it, and embrace it. When we remember it in this way, we are re-membered by it, restored to ourselves and our community.

The word used in Deuteronomy has a wide range of meanings, including “keep” and “protect,” but also “watch over,” “observe,” and “guard.” Here, as in Exodus, we are called to active, intentional engagement. The implication is that Sabbath does not keep itself; it requires our participation, including our preparation. Because our lives tend to be full, or even overflowing, with responsibilities, meetings, errands, rehearsals, diapers, meals, cleanup, groceries, and so much more, we must make room in our lives for Sabbath joy. If we don’t, if we just continue denying our limits and running ourselves ragged, we will only hasten the day when our bodies force us to stop. But by then, rest will not be a choice that we made but one we were forced into, so we will resent our bodies for failing us, which will only continue to cut us off from Sabbath joy.

There is a beautiful and ancient tradition within Judaism that compares the Sabbath to a bride or a queen who returns home every Friday at sundown to spend twenty-four hours with her people. This suggests that the Sabbath day is filled with both joy (for the bride) and gravity (for the queen). If you knew your bride or your queen were coming to your house at a certain time, you would want to be prepared. You would have cleaned the house, made the food and arranged it just so, lit the candles, put on your favorite outfit, and waited with anticipation for her to arrive. In short, you would have prepared, not thrown something together at the last minute.

Now imagine what it would be like if we—the bridegroom and the subjects—forgot that the bride or queen were coming! If we lost track of time, got distracted with work, or were overwhelmed by worries, and we never came to the door to welcome her in, never prepared for her arrival. How sad to imagine the Sabbath queen waiting alone outside in the cold while we are inside, fretting over our lives or distracting ourselves on social media when we could be enjoying the presence of the queen!

At the core of a Sabbath practice are two actions: making room and showing up. Making room means preparing for Sabbath to arrive. How will you make room in your life for Sabbath? Just imagine the joys that will await you when you show up for it!