I have a nasty habit of pushing myself too hard, going too long, or striving too much. I’ve been labeled a “go getter” a “over achiever” and a “perfectionist” by both myself and others throughout my life. I don’t like to fail, and I hate a project going unfinished. I love seeing new things take shape and I love creating and making a dream come to reality. I am an achiever by nature- it’s rooted deep in my bones. And I love the thrill of figuring out a problem and finding a solution that has previously felt impossible.  

Now, none of that is, in and of itself, bad. God made me that way and He has a divine purpose for me and my personality that is meant to glorify Him, further His kingdom, and build up His body. However, if I am not careful, that God-given trait inside me can turn bad and I can become a workaholic, overachieving, dissatisfied, and burned-out person. And my pride can sneak in, telling me that all my achieving is on my shoulders, that I have to do well to prove my worth, and that I am the only one who can solve the problem. I’ll start to push not because I feel called to, but because I need to achieve to feel secure in who I am. 

This is the ugly side of my personality, the side that, if left unchecked, will run me into the ground physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. It’s the side that, when at the wheel of my life, tends to run people over and hurt those I love.  

Maybe you relate, or maybe you are not like that at all. Either way, we all have these nasty dark-sides of our personalities that shift our focus away from God and others and onto ourselves as center-most in importance. These dark-sides tell us that we are the masters of our own destiny, that we can (and even should) chase our dreams and be 100% responsible for achieving them. They lie to us and say that we don’t need others or God, that we are good enough, while still whispering in our ear that if we fail it will mean we are nothing. They put the pressure on us to be something, do something, or make something. These dark-sides of our personalities pull us away from God. 

And that is why Sabbath is SO important. See, we need that weekly rest, that weekly reminder that God is enough, that He is our source. We need a weekly reminder to cease striving so that we can shift our eyes and hearts heavenward. All through the week there are so many different things tugging on us and drawing us away from God. We need a rhythm that counters it.  

For me, Sabbath reminds me that I don’t have to be God- I don’t have to have all the answers, be everything to everyone, and work 24/7. I can trust Him to do “far more abundantly than all we can think or ask” (Ephesians 3:20) Sabbath reminds me to slow down, cease striving, and rest in all that God is. It reminds me to look up and sit in wonder of the God who breaths out stars.  

When I reflect on His vastness, my problems and all the things that sit on my shoulders shrink in size. And in light of all He is and all He can do, I remember who I am. I see that I am a child of God first and foremost, daughter of the Most High King. And no amount of striving, working, achieving, or producing will change that or earn it. It’s already mine through the blood of Jesus Christ. When I rest, I can remember who I really am. 

So, this week, as we look at what God-centered rest looks like, I want to challenge you to look up, to practice the pause that reminds you who you are and who your God is. I want to invite you into the sweetness of surrender, letting God be God as you physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally exhale. I promise you it’s good and it’s worth it.