Week 8 – Take a Sabbath

No, this isn’t a religious post by any (well, at least most) measures. This is simply a plea to take a Sabbath, and by Sabbath I mean a day off. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Sunday, but you should strive to take off one day a week.

Why? Because we aren’t built to go non-stop. We need to rest every once in a while. And rest doesn’t mean sit on the couch and do nothing, but rather it’s not doing anything that may stress you out (such as work, school, etc.) and instead doing that which you take comfort in (whether that’s going to church, writing, reading, sleeping, etc.). Taking one day a week, just one, to do these things is rejuvenating and helps prepare you for the next week.

Though “resting on the Sabbath/Sunday” was drilled into my head from an early age at church, I never heard of one’s personal Sabbath being any day of the week until my senior year of high school. That year, Crown College’s Greek professor – Nickolaus Fox (isn’t that a dope name?) – would inform us about it at least once a week. I think part of this was to remind us that we wouldn’t get a response from him regarding anything academic on Sundays (which we NEVER did), but it really hit home…kinda. I mean, I started taking a Sabbath here and there, but it was never consistent.

Part of this is because I believed that I could truly go non-stop….for my entire life. If I’m being honest, a part of me still does. I’m a workaholic, always doing something, and even when it seems like I’m “relaxing” my mind is really racing with more things than I care to admit (partly ’cause you wouldn’t believe the amount…suffice it to say that it’s high). As I found out, and continue to find out, however, while the human body can technically work non-stop, the work will continue to decrease in speed and quality the longer you go without a rest day. We simply need a break.

Upon being reminded to take a Sabbath here at The King’s College by a number of faculty, I finally started doing it more religiously, and the results have been phenomenal. One day a week (typically Sunday, though sometimes Saturday), I don’t allow myself to do any schoolwork whatsoever. No homework, no studying for a test, nothing. I also don’t allow myself to blog, work on this website, or even do more than small marketing work for Statement Apparel (my e-commerce apparel business that you should really go and check out). Instead, I take one day a week to do what I love (though sometimes hate) the most: creative writing. Now this isn’t the only thing I do (I also workout and read…and yes, those two things do go together), but it’s what I spend most of my time on. And believe it or not, I’m better rested, more alert, and more optimistic for the entire next week, every single time.

So once again take a Sabbath. I don’t care if you’re Christian, Jewish, Atheist, Buddhist, or nything else. I honestly believe that taking one day a week to not stress out about all the pressures life brings and focus solely on the things you enjoy to do will help you more than you know. After all, it’s helping me get through this semester, and it’s helping others get through life.

Once again, it doesn’t necessarily have to be Sunday, but you should strive to take off one day a week. You should strive to take a Sabbath.

Until next time.

– JP

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