Ididn’t know I was allowed to rest.”

I heard these words from a mother with young children just after I had spoken to a Mothers of Preschoolers group about the sabbath. During the discussion time, many of the moms talked about the seven-day-a-week pressure they feel to keep countless balls in the air. They drive their kids to activities, keep the home front organized and clean, fix meals, shop for food and kids’ clothes and toys and school supplies, and try to give their children a significant amount of undivided attention. Many of them also work part time or full time for pay. They multitask continually, and they find it exhausting.

I could see wistful smiles on the women’s faces when I described my own sabbath observance during the years when I’d had young children. I talked about how one day each week I chose not to do housework or run errands. On that day, my husband and I could play with our kids or take them to a park without worrying about the other things we needed to do.

“I didn’t know I was allowed to rest.”

What’s going on in our culture, in our world, that a mother with young children believes she’s supposed to be active and productive every minute? Why is it scary to think about stopping or slowing down all this relentless activity? Why do we need to justify our existence by constant motion? Why would we think we aren’t allowed to rest?

The sabbath has been a great gift to me by slowing me down and inviting me to experience God’s rest—not just analyze it. Jesus said to his disciples, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29). I have received that gift of rest in Christ because of the sabbath.

The sabbath has also enabled me to learn from Jesus, to take his gentle yoke on my shoulders rather than live in response to the world’s demands and my own unhealthy desires. Keeping a sabbath has taught me the deep truths of God’s love as much as any faith discipline I have observed as an adult. It has shaped my heart, opening me to receive God’s gifts more fully. The sabbath has inscribed God’s grace on my soul in a way I can barely describe.

I stumbled into sabbath keeping because I experienced it while living in Israel many years ago. My commitment to the sabbath didn’t come from theological conviction, guilt or any outside force. I experienced it, felt it was a gift and believed God wanted me to experience that gift every week. I’m glad it happened that way.