Refresh

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” – Hebrews 4:9

“It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.” – Exodus 31:17

In that verse in Exodus, the Hebrew word for “refreshed” is naphash, literally “to take a breath.” Walter Brueggemann points out that its most common use is as a noun meaning “self” or “soul”—here, it becomes a verb, re-nepheshed. Re-souled, refreshed, restored to one’s true self. Breathing is not a bad analogy: when we breathe, we take in oxygen to replenish our red blood cells and allow our body to metabolize, to move and grow, in the way it was designed to do. Without that breath, our self as we know it would die.

After we cease and enter, what do we actually do on a Sabbath? “The simple answer,” writes Ruth Haley Barton, “is whatever delights you and replenishes you.” What do you do that is refreshing, that restores your sense of self and joy for life? This is not an intuitive question. In our “work hard, play hard” culture, leisure for most of us comes in the form of entertainment or escapism. We can be as productive in our play as in our work, binge-watching shows or planning elaborate vacations. I don’t know about you, but I don’t generally finish a few episodes of a show feeling more energized than when I began. Sabbath is something different. It is doing what is life-giving, what gives us delight in ourselves and in God.

Perhaps what replenishes your body is a nap, a bike ride, walk, long bubble bath, favorite foods, lighting candles, listening to music, lovemaking. Perhaps what delights your soul is worship, quiet reflection, community, silence, prayer, a meditative walk, a book, journaling, sitting in nature. 

Discerning what restores and refreshes takes time and presence. Sometimes it is not even what we do as much as how we do it: with attentiveness and care. Barton writes, “There have to be times in your life when you move slow… times when you walk rather than run, allowing your body to settle into each step… times when you sit and gaze admiringly at loved ones, rather than racing through an agenda… times when you receive food and drink with gratitude and humility rather than gulping it down… times when hugs linger and kisses are real… times when you let yourself feel, let tears come rather than blinking them back because you don’t have time to cry… times to sit with your gratitude for the good gifts in your life that get forgotten in the rush.”