Keeping Sabbath

Nov. 12, 2009

Dear Patty,

Americans have difficulty doing nothing. That probably is a legacy from our ancestors, who wouldn't have settled North America so quickly if they'd embraced the idea of spending some time doing nothing. They had trees to fell, houses to build, corn to sow, cows to milk. Churches tried to get them to take Sunday off by scheduling services from morning to night. Going to church became too much like work. You might as well get something done.

Here in the 21st century, most everybody does some kind of work on Sunday, whether in a workplace or at home. We may not think of it as work. We're just paying bills or vacuuming the house. That's work. Keeping the Sabbath means refreshing our souls. Of course, vacuuming might do that for some.

Keeping the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, the one everyone heeds least. The word is based on the Hebrew shabbat, which means "to cease" or "to rest," but the concept is in many different spiritual traditions. Spiritual reflection is the purpose, but true reflection is only possible when our minds and bodies are at rest.

The spiritual teacher Terry Taylor recommends taking a daily Sabbath, a weekly Sabbath and a semiannual Sabbath. The daily Sabbath consists of 20 minutes in which you just sit in a place that is inviting and quiet, shielded as much as possible from the sounds and sights of the outside world. Consider it a sacred space. Just be.

The weekly Sabbath is a day or at least half a day when you do only whatever pleases you. The idea is not to do things associated with work or responsibilities. Don't answer e-mail, don't return messages. Play. Remember who you are.

This Sabbath doesn't have to occur on Sunday or any particular day. It just needs to be a regular part of your life.

Sabbath is the root of sabbatical. The semiannual Sabbath is a weekend or perhaps a weeklong retreat, a longer period when you get away from your ordinary life. Taylor points out that even industries shut down from time to time to give their machines maintenance. Give yourself the same care.

Our neighbor and friend Robyn faithfully practices the tradition of keeping the Sabbath. After a hard week's work, one that can involve nights, traveling and sometimes working on Saturday, she might do nothing on Sunday. Nothing.

"What did you do yesterday?" one of us will ask her on Monday. "Oh, nothing," she'll say, smiling and meaning it.

Robyn's husband Frank and DC still have a lot to learn about Sabbath-keeping. On weekends Frank is raking leaves and burning them in a barrel, though he knows the city will begin picking up leaves in their neighborhood next week.

DC's in the yard chopping off tree limbs, raking flower beds. Then she's at her office, doing paperwork to get ready for Monday or preparing a test for her students. The crash comes about 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Robyn and I have discovered the treasure of not doing, though I suspect we both sometimes feel guilty about keeping the Sabbath while our spouses make themselves busy. Being role models can be a burden.

Love, Sam

Sam Blackwell is a former reporter for the Southeast Missourian.