Getting Started with Sabbath: Plan for Rest, Delight, and Worship

By Lauren Ashley Zitek

People who are interested in implementing a Sabbath practice often ask, “Where do I start?” After setting realistic expectations that will work for your family, and deciding when to start a Sabbath practice, it’s time to sit down to prepare for this special day. Preparing to practice Sabbath with young kids is twofold. It’s important to think through logistical preparations that help carve out a space in which Sabbath can unfold. This allows us to fully be present on this day. It’s also valuable to consider your hopes and dreams for the day.

Ruth Haley Barton says in her book, Sacred Rhythms, “Sabbath Keeping is more than just taking a day of rest; it is a way of ordering one’s life around a pattern of working six days and then resting on the seventh… The day itself is set apart, devoted completely to rest, worship and delighting in God, but the rest of the week must be lived in such a way as to make Sabbath possible.”

Carving Out Space

At the beginning of this practice especially, it can take some work to move chores that usually would happen on the Sabbath to other times during the week. I used to do my meal planning and grocery shopping on Sundays. Now that we observe Sabbath on Sundays, I have moved that responsibility to another time in the week. If you’re used to mowing the lawn, checking your email, and running errands on the day you’ve chosen to observe your Sabbath, try to find another time to do those tasks.

In my family, my husband and I work together to clean the house on Saturday before Sabbath starts, similar to what we would do before hosting guests. I try to respond to texts and emails. Occasionally, I also prepare some food for Sabbath ahead of time. My hope is to be more fully present by the time Sabbath starts. One caveat here: it’s also important to remember that the work is never fully complete. There’s always more that could be done. Part of the beauty of this day of rest is that it helps us remember that God invites us into rest, not because we have completed our work, but despite the fact that we haven’t.

Dreaming About a Delightful Day

The second part of preparation is thinking through what you want the day itself to look like. It’s helpful to have some ideas that would work for your family ahead of time. This helps generate excitement for Sabbath, as you look forward to a day filled with rest, worship, and delight!

I like to think of my dreams for the day as a “menu” to choose from. This helps me avoid feeling like I’m falling into a different kind of to-do list. Here are some options you may want to consider. All of you Enneagram Types One, Three, and Six out there understand what I mean!

Ideas for Sabbath Activities

• Sleep in, take a nap.

• Pull out some special toys for your kids to use for “quiet playtime” independently in their rooms.

• Spend time playing outside in your backyard or at a local park.

• Go get ice cream.

• Find a restaurant with yard games for kids and enjoy time with close friends.

• Play a board game as a family.

• Go on a walk.

• Go to a skate park.

• Go on a picnic.

• Bake bread or a special treat.

• Go paddleboarding or river tubing.

• Spend time at a pool.

• Cuddle up and read books together.

• Do a puzzle.

• Make a special dish or meal as a family (pull out that waffle-maker, fondue pot, or make homemade pizzas).

• Enjoy time by a fire pit with friends. My daughter would also highly recommend (demand?) s’mores if you’re already making a fire.

You may want to think through the answers to these questions to help get you started:

• What would be two possible timeframes for your family to try Sabbath?

• In order to rest, what work that usually happens in your chosen timeframe needs to be stopped?

• What would be restful for you? (Also consider, what do you want to avoid doing on this day that would not be restful?)

• What activities would be restful for the people in your family? Is there anything on this list that will prohibit you from resting? (For example, your child might love to go to the bike park, but for you, that would be overwhelming and exhausting.)

• What would be delightful for you?

• What activities would be delightful for the people in your family?

• What activities would feel most worshipful to you? (Some ideas: going to a church service, journaling, sharing gratitude, practicing Christ-centered mindfulness, listening to worship music, engaging in a worshipful creative process such as creating art or music.)

Sabbath does not have to be perfect to be meaningful. Like any spiritual practice, it begins with small, intentional steps. Over time, these rhythms of rest, delight, and worship can slowly shape the culture of your family and create space to more fully experience the presence of God together.

May God bless each of us as we seek to establish rhythms that honor Him and raise our children in His ways.

Connect with me at LaurenZitek.com

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