I somehow missed it. I had invited Jesus to come into my heart. I read the Bible. I prayed. I was ordained as a minister. I attended seminary. I even spent some time on the mission field. But in spite of all this, there was something I lacked. Something huge and unnamed dogged me – something I knew I desperately needed. It was identifiable to me only by its gnawing absence.

Then one day, I was invited to appear on a talk show together with a Muslim, a Jewish rabbi, and a Buddhist monk. (I know this sounds like the set-up for a lame punch line, but bear with me. It’s far from that.) The Muslim, the rabbi, the monk, and I discussed several religious issues of the day, but what I remember most about our time together was something the rabbi revealed about his personal life. This man was married, with six children, and lived in the fourth largest city of the United States (Houston), yet he and his family managed to consistently practice the Sabbath.

Every Friday evening they shut off their cell phones, computers, televisions, and radios and shared a ritual meal together. I must have appeared incredulous, because he assured me this happened every Friday night. “Didn’t your kids rebel when you turned off the TV?” I asked. “No,” he insisted, “they loved it.” Loved it!

What he said resonated deeply with me. In fact, it more than resonated – it convicted me. As soon as I heard him talk about setting apart a day to the Lord and refusing to allow anything to disturb that deliberate rest, I knew what I’d been missing. Even though I'd been a Christ follower my entire life, I had somehow missed the concept and practice of Sabbath rest. The rabbi was experiencing a kind of peace that I didn’t have, and I wanted it.

As I reflected over my life and my schedule, I had to admit that I had become a slave to the clock and the calendar. I saw rest as an optional luxury and the Sabbath as a slightly archaic Jewish tradition. And while I could easily recall a time when Sundays were more leisurely because fewer businesses were open and “blue laws” were in force – I knew that my Sundays (and my family’s) were far from peaceful. Like most of my peers, I viewed Sunday as a day to worship, then to catch up on work. Others I knew thought of Sunday as a day to watch football, run a week’s worth of errands, sleep off a hangover, or shop ‘til they dropped. We’ve got to stay active, right? God forbid we might actually slow down, reflect, consider our priorities, and ponder our mortality. 

Okay. Maybe you aren’t nursing a hangover or planning your next shopping spree…..But consider this: When was the last time you devoted an entire day to nothing but prayer, quality time with your family, and rest? When was the last time you cut off every technological tether that keeps you “connected” in order to distance yourself from distraction?

…Christians can be some of the worst about not observing a true Sabbath, or Shabbat…. But does it have to be so? Could we be missing something important?

... In Sabbath rest…we are reminded of the limits of our humanity and of God’s complete “otherness” or transcendence....You simply begin to enjoy His presence. And to enjoy who you are in His presence. You are free to worship Him as He is, and to be known as you are.