Sabbath Means to Stop

On Sunday I started a new series on The Sabbath. It's not a topic we hear a lot about. But I believe the message of Sabbath is needed now more than ever. Sabbath is God's antidote to stress.

I quoted Dr. Richard Swenson's assessment of stress. He said that stress comes because progress always leads to profusion. Progress leads to a profusion of options and most of us aren't very good at saying "no" so we try to do it all. But God calls us in Sabbath to cease. To stop. And to redirect ourselves to what really matters.

I came across an article in the Harvard Business Review that touches on a few tips to help us free up time. You can  click the link below to read the full article but here are the five things it suggest to stop doing...

Five Things to You Should Stop in 2012

1. Checking your email all the time. Set up timeframes in the day rather than continully stopping to check it.

2. Mindless Traditions. Don't keep doing traditions (Christmas cards?) if you are doing them merely out of obligation.

3. Reading annoying things. Just because someone sent you an email or a newsletter or magazine comes your way it's not something you have to read. Hit delete or toss it in the garbage without guilt.

4. Work that's not worth it. It's okay to turn down jobs that have no return or simply drain  you.

5. Making things more complicated than they should be. Sometimes people want to experiment on you. Rather than take the time to perfect and idea they let you be the guinea pig. Don't fall for it. Tell them to come back when the bugs are worked out.

The point is...we live in a busy culture. If you don't control the flow of input into your life it will control you. If you have any hope of finding Sabbath you need to start saying "no" and saying it regularly. Read article here.