Ending Hurry and Beginning Sabbath
By: Sara Payne, Magnify Missions Coach
Email: sara@magnifymissions.com
When I think of hurrying, the picture of the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland comes to mind. He’s scurrying around, looking at this watch and almost in a panic. He barely pays attention to the other people around him and instead rushes off saying the memorable words, “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. No time to say hello, goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”
Why Sundays Feel Like the Worst
I feel like the white rabbit on a very regular basis and ironically he seems to pop up quite often on Sundays. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. What is about a Sunday that causes the blood pressure to rise, family tensions to surface, and a general feeling of failure to ensue as we walk in after the first worship song has already begun? Just last week I was telling my husband, “There is NO reason for us to be late to church this morning” and of course despite our best efforts we were still walking in, you guessed it, during the first song of the service. There were a few things going on in the period before we arrived that led to another failed attempt to be on time. One, I am a tired woman who is daily trying to keep a small human being alive. I had to get her ready and then get myself ready, but not before I slept a few minutes too long. Two, my husband, who loves me well and knows I love breakfast, made us a lovely meal. However we sat down to eat it at 9:10 am and church started at 9:30 am. Three, we had to drive separate cars that morning because I had to go to a bridal shower after church, which threw things off. Four, my husband doesn't think it’s as big of a deal to stroll in late to church as I do, which entirely stresses me out. So invariably I was in a hurry on my way to church, and then internally ready to combust as he unhurriedly gathered our daughter and the diaper bag out of the other car. I can sit here now and laugh about the comedy of the moment, but at the time I was in the absolutely wrong frame of mind to go and worship Jesus.
The Problem with Hurrying
I’ve been thinking about the concept or rather the lifestyle habit of “hurrying” a lot over the past few weeks. I just finished reading the book by John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, which has been challenging me to reevaluate how I spend my time and in what state I am approaching my time and people. It’s also why I was so mindful of how “hurry” was at play last Sunday morning. John Mark Comer starts his book early on with a story about a conversation with John Ortberg who had been mentored by Dallas Willard. On a side note, having a spiritual mentor makes a HUGE difference when it comes to practicing our faith. But back to my point. Ortberg had asked Willard, “What do I need to do to become the me I need to be?” And Willard’s response was,
“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
What is it about hurrying that is so unspiritual or rather a hindrance to a person’s faith journey? I’ve been really pondering this question and Comer’s book actually helped break this down. He discussed how our moments of hurry often result in sin. When we’re in a hurry we make mistakes, we say careless words, we don’t listen well, and among other things we don’t pay attention to the Holy Spirit.
I’ve been challenged to think through why I’m hurrying and why I so often feel like I’m in a rush. Part of it is my “One-ness” (thank you Enneagram) and my need for accomplishment and productivity. I try to literally cram as much of my to do lists as I can into the different time segments of my day. I have quiet times, but my brain is often scattered and it’s hard for me to sit down and just be still. I am combating a barrage of thoughts about what I need to get done and just sitting there with the Lord isn’t accomplishing those tasks. I regularly come back to the Scripture where Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). Much to my own dismay, I am a Martha, but my soul longs to be a Mary. So how do I get to the place where I am just sitting at Jesus feet instead of in the kitchen hurrying around? I think my starting point is Sabbath.
My Misunderstandings About Sabbath
I grew up in a Catholic family, and I don’t recall many teachings if any around the idea of Sabbath. Very early on I misunderstood that “keeping the Sabbath” meant going to church. We rarely missed church so I thought we were keeping the Sabbath. Our mornings looked a lot like the scene I described earlier-frazzled parents, grumpy kids, tensions on the rise. My best source of knowledge on the Jewish practice of Sabbath was from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. I vividly remember a particular scene in the movie of families lighting candles and the haunting song, Sunrise Sunset. While I thought it was beautiful and reverent I didn’t really get it. It felt foreign because it was. Even as I transitioned out of a Catholic church to a non-denominational one in college the concept of Sabbath wasn’t one I was familiar with. I knew it was mentioned in the Bible, but I don’t recall any strong teaching around the practice of Sabbath or any guidance on how to best observe it. Well into my adulthood and even just in the most recent decade I would have told you I thought keeping the Sabbath meant going to church each week. I’ve determined that understanding what Sabbath actually is must be in God's heart for me because I’ve read two books just in the last month, Sacred Rhythms and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, that define what it truly is and how to practice it.
What Sabbath is and Why It’s Crucial
My new understanding of Sabbath has led me both to a longing to make it part of my life and a conviction that I haven’t been obeying God’s command to honor it. It’s a big deal that God literally wants to gift me (all of us) an entire day (24 hours) of resting, slowing down, unplugging, connecting with Him and with the people we love. He wants to give us a day filled or unfilled with activities that are life-giving and refreshing. This is what God wants to give me every week, and I haven’t been receiving it. In fact I’ve been unknowingly ignoring it for years.
Sabbath is meant to be a weekly rhythm of restoration for body, mind, and soul. It can include going to church and worshiping with other believers, but that is only one aspect of it. For some who practice Sabbath on the traditional day of Saturday, it wouldn’t include a church service at all. John Mark Comer writes, “The word Sabbath comes to us from the Hebrew Shabbat. The word literally means “to stop”...But Sabbath is more than just a day; it’s a way of being in the world. It’s a spirit of restfulness that comes from abiding and living in the Father’s loving presence all week long.”
I’m not exactly sure why the command to keep the Sabbath has been so obviously ignored, but it has been-in my own life and in the practice of the collective church. In fact, I see the church often being a contributing factor to filling people’s lives up with even more activity and hurriedness. I feel a real tension between wanting to be a part of the church life, but also just to be with my own family on a Sunday afternoon and evening. Somehow it feels like not doing church activities and being with church people all day on Sunday makes us less spiritual or at the least makes us feel a little guilty, but God says that not doing and just being is spiritual. It’s a bit confusing.
In Sacred Rhythms Ruth Baley Barton hits on this sentiment, “You will long for a community whose traditions enable you to honor the sabbath rather than making it a day of Christian busyness.” I’ve noticed over the last few years God has been doing His work of creating space for Sabbath in my life. I’ve found myself doing less at the church and leaning more into time at home and with my family. I’ve said no to church functions and Bible Studies that would infringe on that family time. My husband and I dubbed Sunday nights Popcorn, Smoothie (Smovie) nights. It’s a predictable, delicious meal no one has to cook, and it means time together cuddling on the couch and watching a movie. We both love that time, and we look forward to it every week. It’s that kind of pattern of living that starts to get to the heart of true Sabbath.
Making the Sabbath a Part of Your Life
Eliminating the hurry from my life and incorporating a true Sabbath isn’t an easy task, but I’m taking little steps. I’m trying to make it a way of ‘being’ throughout the week. Per John Mark Comer’s suggestion I’ve started charging my phone downstairs and not next to my bed at night. I’m being more mindful of just sitting with people or with myself and choosing to let go of the hurry in my mind. Instead of stressing as the time goes by instead, I’m just enjoying a conversation with my mom when she pops in for a surprise visit in the middle of me writing this blog. Cuddling up on the porch with my little girl who wants me to read book after book instead of doing the dishes that are piled up from breakfast. Having a leisurely breakfast with my husband, Ryan, instead of jumping into my work day.
Recently Ryan and I talked about our individual history and understanding of Sabbath. We both had some legalistic baggage in regards to rules and regulations about Sabbath. His immediate thought was, “What can I do and not do?” It was a fair question, but we both agreed that’s getting at the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law. So we moved to thinking through how to make it a practice that works for our own family and not one that leaves us feeling like we’ve failed or missed the mark. It’s not going to happen unless we plan for it and so we came up with a game plan for how to make it work for us. Ryan’s ministry work requires him to travel on lots of weekends and his calendar is ever changing, which makes it a challenge to do Sabbath. Still we determined we need to try to find 24 hours at least every other week to make the Sabbath a part of our family lives. I know I can also practice it even when he’s on the road. It’s actually been fun to think through what I love to do and then look forward to the day when I can do any or all of those activities that are so life-giving. For me that is drinking a cup of coffee on my back patio while I watch all our woodland creatures move about the yard. It would be a leisurely walk with my husband and little girl. It’s a bike ride and stopping for ice cream. It’s sitting on the sun filled porch reading a good book. It’s listening to worship music while I journal. It’s a reorienting of my mind, body, and spirit around the One who wants to “Lead me beside quiet waters and restore my soul” (Psalm 23:2b-3). I’m moving towards regularly sitting at Jesus' feet instead of hurrying around in my life. I hope you’ll join me there. Here are few ideas to begin:
Buy and Read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Do a Sabbath trial run-try blocking out a 24 hour period where you unplug (no TV/phones/computers), don’t work, and just spend time with your family doing activities you all love.
Download our 1 Day Sabbatical Guide and take a day to practice rest.
Sara Payne is first and foremost a beloved child of God. She likes to surround herself with people who love Jesus, be out in nature, work out, cook, and drink delicious cups of coffee. She is married to Ryan, an amazing man who loves Jesus, and also is (in her opinion) a rock star with a band called Attaboy. They have one beautiful little girl named Isabella, who is a joy and delight! Sara’s first job after college was as a missionary serving overseas in Budapest, Hungary. She then transitioned into being a full time English teacher in a PBL school on the south side of Indianapolis, IN. There her mission field was high school students. After getting married, she worked for Magnify Learning as a Branding Manager and PBL facilitator. Since becoming a mama, she now works for Magnify Missions where she is able to combine her love of missions and teaching to serve and coach missionaries around the world.
