I’ve been reading Sabbath, by Dan Allender. It’s part of The Ancient Practices Series from Thomas Nelson. In this book, Allender takes a closer look at the “day of rest” that the Bible calls Sabbath. It seems that our society may have a few false notions about this biblical concept.

Allender contends that our view of Sabbath is one of forced quiet, when it should be a day of joy, delight for the body and soul. Rather than it being a day where we force ourselves to be still, Allender examines the idea that we should use the day as a festival that celebrates God’s creativity and redemption.

Allender defines four Sabbath Pillars: sensual glory, holy time, communal feast and play. When our Sabbath is balanced and viewed appropriately, the balance of our week falls into line as well, more often than not.

Part of the idea that Allender describes is what we might call “creating margin.” This isn’t just balancing our time. It’s not simply being more efficient with our lives.

I think it’s more like stewardship…

Stewardship of my time.

Stewardship of my day.

Stewardship of my life.

Margin.

Sabbath.

It’s necessary.

It’s vital.

And without it, we won’t survive for very long.

But I mentioned earlier that God has addressed this in various ways in my life this week. One of those clarion calls from God occurred this morning as I was thinking about this review.

I follow several leadership blogs. One of them is Michael Hyatt’s, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Here’s his post for this morning:  How to Create Margin in Your Overly Busy Life.

That’s just one of the attention-getters that God has sent my way this week. There have been several others, too.  I just hope that I’m smart enough to listen…

Question: How do you view Sabbath? What do you do to celebrate God’s creative presence and redemption in your life? How do you create margin in your life?

I highly recommend that you read Sabbath, by Dan Allender. You can purchase it at Amazon.com.

I also recommend that you spend some time looking around Michael Hyatt’s blog. He has some great articles on leadership and productivity.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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