How Weekly Sabbath Can Help Moms and Families Win

We see you, mamas.

How often do you find yourself feeling desperate for a break – or even a moment to catch your breath?

If you feel overwhelmed some days, it’s not surprising. Moms hold and implement the family calendar, meal plans, and juggle the kids’ myriad needs - often while holding down a career. It can be a mind-boggling balancing act that defies explanation, and for many of us it’s a feat of sheer willpower, prayer, dry shampoo, and caffeine.

Do you get a day off every week? You know, a little time to unplug and recharge. To rest, think –to have the weight of the world off your shoulders for 24 hours? Most moms probably don’t get a regular respite – especially every week! How about you?

That weekly break that we all should enjoy is called a Sabbath, and despite its promise of rest and rejuvenation – most people don’t give it a second thought. It’s been mostly considered a dusty old religious relic - something they did literally thousands of years ago. Not for today.

But remembering the Sabbath is desperately needed in this age. We want to challenge you to reconsider the concept. Most of us live in the haze of hurry and the pressure of responsibility. Recovering the Sabbath might just revolutionize your modern family. We’ll look at it in the Bible and how it might transform your life, family – and mental health.

What is Sabbath?

If you’ve gone to church for any length of time or read even key passages in the Bible – you know off the bat that it’s part of the Ten Commandments - # 4 to be precise, nestled between not misusing the Lord’s name and honoring your mom and dad.

Some might contend that since it’s part of the Old Testament, it has no relevance today. That argument falls a bit short, though, since most believers could make a decent case that the Ten Commandments are still needed – building blocks of society and culture. Even now, legislation is being enacted and litigated regarding displaying the Ten Commandments in schools and other public buildings. As conservatives, we are all about it.

The central ideas, like not stealing, not murdering, or giving false testimony against someone, are universal – and definitely in keeping with American values. We built our nation and government on Judeo-Christian concepts. Even not worshiping idols and steering clear of adultery seem like solid guidance to live by. Why would the Sabbath be any different?

With that in mind – here’s what the Bible says about it:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

A couple of things worth noting from that passage. First, God Himself found value in taking a day off, and that was way, way before Moses ever journeyed down Mt. Sinai with those fated stone tablets. Before the burning bush – or the rescue of several million Jewish slaves from Egypt – God created the world. Genesis 1 gives the account of creation. At the end of six days of creating the sun and moon – land and sea, animals and, well, everything – God took a day off.

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

Both passages refer to this day of rest as “holy.” It’s worth noting that the word “holy” means “set apart” – a little more accessible to our modern ears.

What if you decided to “set apart” one day a week for yourself – and your family?

Charlie Kirk Claimed it Could Save the World

We love and miss Charlie Kirk. He had an unparalleled voice that impacted generations. He boldly spoke truth in love to friends and detractors. His final book, published a few months after his tragic death, Stop in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life, was a final appeal to all of us to discover sanity through a God-ordained weekly rhythm of rest.

The word “Shabbat” in Hebrew actually means “to cease, to stop or desist from labor.” Hence the title of Charlie’s book.

During a Turning Point event, as he shared the stage with his wife, Erika, Charlie shared, “To our own detriment and to our own failure, we as Christians have decided to cast away resting on one of the seven days. God rested after creation – that comes before the Hebrews – it comes even before the creation of the modern world and civilization as we know it, and so we honor the Sabbath. We are very serious about it. We get to spend more time with our family. We do no news. We do no work. And it says very clearly in the scriptures, ‘For six days you shall work and the seventh day you shall rest.’” 1

When and How Should Sabbath Be Observed?

If you were to adhere to Jewish practice, the Sabbath is on Saturday. Though many who take that commandment seriously use Sunday as their day to rest. Still others choose another day of the week because of unusual work schedules. Consider the day that would work best for your busy family schedule.

Then, think about what you might do on this “set apart” day. You could start by unplugging from your phone for a day – along with everyone else in the family. Put all internet-connected devices in a central location in your home where they sit all day – unused. Turned off. No ringtones or alerts heard within your home for a blessed 24 hours.

Next, figure out how you’d like to interact and relax together as a family. Maybe take a hike – or hit the park. You could pull out the cards or a favorite game and have low- or no-tech time together. Charlie and Erika shared that they liked to watch college football on their Sabbath – for them, it was fun family time.

It could be the day that you attend worship services or meet with your small group. Your Sabbath rhythm could offer the best opportunity to spend some time in your Bible (especially if you have trouble fitting it into other days). Whatever you do, it’s your chance to take a moment to reflect with gratitude on the past week – and reset through prayer and peace in anticipation of the new week.

How Can Sabbath Help You and Your Family Win?

For many in this culture, we live lives jam-packed with activity and constant online interaction – it is all day and all night; there is almost no downtime anymore. Sabbath opens an opportunity to practice real, face-to-face interaction with family members and friends. This will yield relational growth, a deepening connection between loved ones.

A period of silence, if you choose to make it even a short part of your Sabbath observance, can help with focus, lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and also lower stress. Quiet time can also improve memory, help with cell growth in the brain (if you do it regularly), and even help reset your brain. How valuable would that be to you and your kids as a new week begins?

Anytime studies look at time off, even one day a week, the data always shows deeply beneficial impacts. A meaningful break lowers stress, boosts your immune system, helps your creativity, and improves clarity of thought. Pausing the swirling chaos of a busy week can make you feel happier, too.

One More Word About Sabbath Rest

It’s one of the Ten Commandments. It’s needed rest that God thought was important enough to put in His top 10. Stealing and adultery are bad, and so is ignoring the Sabbath principle. It’s no joke.

We know that as New Testament believers – Jesus IS our rest, so is that a license to write off the Sabbath?

No, it is not.

Jesus also pulled away. He could’ve worked, preached, healed, and restored people 24/7 during his short 3-year earthly ministry. But instead, he would leave his followers and get off alone to pray and recharge. He modeled rest – even in His unrelenting messianic schedule. Think about it.

Erika Kirk, in an interview with The New York Times DealBook Summit, explained how the Kirk family observed Sabbath – including their early efforts. “It did not happen overnight; this is something that he [Charlie] leaned into. And, on every Friday night when he would get home from work, he would turn off his phone, and he would shove it in the junk drawer, and he would say “Shabbat Shalom…” and he was full dad mode, fully with the kids, sports mode on Saturdays for college football, and he could breathe. He had this sacred moment to just breathe and to rest and get away from the chatter, get away from the world, and just have a moment to understand that life is so much bigger than the to-do list…” 2

It might be a radical shift in the way your week is ordered. What do you think? Is it time for your family to consider the real-time benefits of Sabbath rest?

Podcast Note: God is in the business of redemption, and few stories show that more vividly than Victor Marx’s. Recorded at CPAC, this episode features conversations with Victor and Eileen Marx, founders of All Things Possible Ministries, as Victor shares how God transformed an abuse-filled childhood into a life devoted to rescuing and restoring vulnerable women and children. He also reflects on his desire to serve Colorado as he seeks the office of Governor. You’ll hear from Eileen as well — a devoted mom, humanitarian, martial artist, and author of Dangerous Women — as she and Victor describe how unwavering faith fuels their mission to bring hope, healing, and freedom to countless lives. Tune in on Tuesday at 10am EST to listen to the podcast on your favorite platform: YouTube, Rumble, Spotify or Apple

1 youtube.com Charlie Kirk on Sabbath

2 youtube.com Erika Kirk, The New York Times DealBook Summit