American society has created a culture of non-stop work and constant movement. In other words, we are busy. If you’re reading this, I’m sure you identify with this in some way. But were we really designed to live our lives in overdrive?

America, More Work and Less Rest

Last month, Daniel Wesley, the founder of CreditLoan, wrote an article showing that the 40-hour American work week is vanishing. The majority of employed, full-time, American men worked an average of 9.15 hours a day, while women worked 8.51 hours a day. Wesley also went on to show that compared to individuals in European countries, Americans averaged more hours of work per year.

But not only do we as Americans work more hours than most of Europe, we also enjoy far less paid leave. This graph from the Center of Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) compares the national requirement of paid vacations and holidays in 21 developed countries.

As you can see, the United States is the only country displayed that requires no paid holidays or vacations. Despite this, a majority of jobs still offer paid time-off throughout the year. On average, after 1 year with a company, most Americans get 12 paid vacation days. Most then subsequently receive 17 days after 10 years and 20-23 after 20 years. Still, it takes 20 years on average for Americans to get what most Europeans do regardless of where they work or how long they have worked there.

Project: Time Off, a research-driven initiative that seeks to prove to Americans the value and necessity of vacation, came out with a study last summer about America's vacation time in 2017. In it they showed that 52% of Americans ended the 2017 year with unused vacation time. So not only do Americans largely have less vacation time than most Europeans, the majority of us tend to not even use it all. Why is this?

This is because a majority of Americans value hard work. It is ingrained into our history that hard work leads to success. This is why the ideal worker in America is someone who comes in early, stays late, and works into the evenings and weekend. In many European countries this kind of worker would simply be seen as foolish.

My purpose in saying all of this is not to show that European working conditions are better, but to simply show just how much we value work in America and how this contributes to the majority of us living in constant, never-ending, busyness.  

America and Rest, in History

Dr. A.J. Swaboda, a pastor and theologian in Portland, Oregon, recently came out with a book called “Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World.” In it, he points out two very interesting observations in American history related to rest.

One observation he makes is the difference regarding PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) before and after World War II. Before the second world war, soldiers came home and were more successful at integrating back into society. The same can’t be said for after. It is not just that PTSD was not as well documented before WWII (though this may be true) but that soldiers experienced PTSD far less before the second world war than after. Why?

Swoboda points to the way soldiers traveled home. Before WWII, a soldier’s only option for returning home was a lengthy boat ride. With the increased use of aviation after WWII, a soldier could leave the war and be home with their family in a matter of days. It’s through plane travel that soldiers lost the opportunity for lengthy, distraction-free time to process what they had just experienced. During boat rides home there is no doubt that soldiers told stories, laughed together and cried together. In other words, they rested. The fact that most returning soldiers after WWII have been given close to no time to rest before returning home surely contributed, in some way, to the increase of veterans struggling with PTSD.

Swoboda also observed that though other countries have holidays that are similar to a nation-wide rest, there was only one day in American history that came close to resembling this: September 11, 2001. Sadly, it took a tragedy to get Americans to stop and rest.

Interestingly, this is the case for many of us in our personal lives as well. Oddly, I have often heard people become thankful when they get sick because it liberates them from having to work; giving them the freedom to be lazy all day. Have you ever felt this way? I know I have.

But should our only opportunity to rest, to truly take a break from all the busyness and just be lazy, be in response to tragedy or sickness? Our life would be much healthier and enjoyable if we intentionally integrated rest into our lifestyle. In fact, this is exactly the way God intended for us to live.

The Biblical Sabbath      

In the first chapters of the Bible, in the book of Genesis, God laid out a principle for His people to follow (Gen. 1:1-2:4). God took six days to create the heavens and the earth but on the seventh day he rested. This is the foundation for the Sabbath as seen throughout the rest of the Bible.

It is amazing that God created mankind on the sixth day. This means that after being created, mankind’s first day of life was a day of rest. When the world says to work first, then rest, God, in his infinite wisdom, tells man to rest first, then work. This is the gospel.

After God rescued the people of Israel from Egypt, God introduced the Sabbath into their lives by providing them twice as much mana on the sixth day so that they could rest on the seventh (Ex. 16:5, 22-23). It was not until later, though, that God gave the first official command to honor the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11). At the time, this was a stark contrast with what God’s people had just experienced in Egypt, where they worked tirelessly every single day as slaves.

Even further, God commanded not only the people to rest but their animals too. Why would God do this? Would it not make sense, and even be productive, for them to say “Ah, the Sabbath is here! I will take my day off and rest. But before I do, let me make sure my animals are ready to work the fields all day while I rest.” That is how I would think! But no. Even the animals were called to rest.

This is because the Sabbath is more than just a call to abstain from work. It is a call to remember that God created all that there is in six days and on the seventh he saw that it was “very good” and he rested. When we rest every seventh day we join in on what God did on the first seventh day. We recognize that God is the source for all things. He created every aspect of creation and in him consists all that we need for provision, blessing, and salvation. We stop work and look to him because those gifts are not things that can be worked for but something given by grace. This is why it was important that even the animals stopped working.

In a hard-working, fast-paced, money-making culture, this is difficult for us. We have to come to grips with the fact that stopping to rest for one day will not be productive in our human eyes. However, it is by stopping from our daily work and remembering that God is our ultimate source that we receive the true blessing that could never be found in the affairs of this world.  

It is also important to note that with the inauguration of the Church, the Sabbath was no longer a law-requirement. This is because Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matt. 5:17), and this includes the Sabbath. Further, Paul wrote that believers are no longer to be judged on the basis of following the Old Testament laws because they were shadows of what was to come; namely, Jesus the Messiah (Col. 2:16-17). Nonetheless, we must remember Jesus’ words when he said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk. 2:27). The Sabbath was created for us. It is a blessing. That is why it remained a principle that God’s people continued to practice.

In recent years, however, the Sabbath is being practiced much less, especially here in America where weekly church gatherings have been reduced to roughly one-hour services. Though Christians may attend church every seventh day, they do not generally regard this day as a day of rest. For most, the remaining portion of the day is still filled with activities, gatherings, parties, work, etc.

But as Christians, we should still seek to honor God and take a day of rest. Not only because this is the way God designed humanity to function but also because it is a way for us to resist the non-stop culture that surrounds us.

Practical Suggestions

I am not perfect by any means at practicing the Sabbath. However, by God’s grace, I have been able to grown in my faith to apply this principle to my life. Here are some practical suggestions I have learned over the years in trying to implement the Sabbath in my life.

1. Figure out what “no work” means for you

Any Sabbath must include resting from work. Obviously, this includes not going to your job but what about cooking, cleaning, working out, etc.? Some things may feel like work to one person but to another that same task may be relaxing. For me, “work” includes my job, homework, emails/budgeting, and personal work (like writing this article). If it feels like work, avoid it. If you enjoy it, do it!

2. Figure out what “rest” means for you

Similar to work, rest can mean different things for different people. Are you highly introverted? You should have at least some alone time during your Sabbath. Are you extremely extroverted? A day filled with quality time with friends and family may be restful for you. You may have to play with this one but the main goal is to figure out what is not restful and avoid it so that you can enjoy things that are restful.

3. Decide when your Sabbath will be

This can be very difficult depending on your work schedule. Even for the common Monday-Friday work week, finding time for rest can be a challenge since evenings and weekends easily get filled up. For me, Tuesday is my only day off so I thankfully get to enjoy a Sabbath almost every Tuesday. Regardless of your schedule, I encourage you to decide before the week begins. If you don’t, it most likely will not happen.

4. Put away your phone

Yup, I said it. Put away your phone. Let's be honest, this is probably the hardest suggestion on the list for many of us but we should do this even if it’s only for a few hours and learn to be content with ourselves and those around us (I would actually encourage you to practice this daily, but at the very least for a few hours a week).

5. Whatever amount of time you can fit in is good

Let me say something loud and clear: Your Sabbath does not have to be a full day. Remember, as Christians, the Sabbath is not a requirement but a principle. Many Christians do not even attempt to Sabbath because the idea of resting for a full 24 hours seems so impossible. While a 24 hour period is ideal, if this simply does not work for you do not give up. If all you can do is Sabbath for three hours a week then make it the most restful and relaxing three hours you possibly can!

The majority of us live incredibly busy lives in an incredibly busy culture. Though being busy is not bad in itself, humans were not created to work non-stop. This is why God gave us the Sabbath. In an increasingly busy culture, Christians, above all, should be known for resisting the constant human tendency to work, and embracing the God-given blessing of rest on a regular basis.