24/6 In A 24/8 World

“There is something comforting about being overworked. If work is the meaning of our lives, then more work equals more meaning. Our work ethic even extends to our time away from work. We like to say that we work hard and we play hard. But 24/6 is not about working hard and playing hard. it is about working hard and stopping. In that rhythm, the work takes on more meaning, and the stopping takes on holiness.” – Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Dr. Matthew Sleeth found his way to Sabbath rest before he came to faith in the Lord of the Sabbath. Hitting the “pause” button one day a week while working as an ER physician was the most counterintuitive thing he could do as he sought to build his medical career. As he began to make space in his adrenaline-driven schedule to unplug from work and focus on rest, reflection and simple family time, he discovered that Sabbath was a gift from God that shaped the way he lived all seven days of the week.

After I wrote this piece entitled “The Jewish Roots of the Christian Sabbath” in June as part of Amy Julia Becker’s series exploring the Sabbath in which I confessed my own struggle to make sense of Shabbat, I heard from Nancy Sleeth. I’d interviewed Nancy a couple of years ago about her lovely book, Almost Amish. I’d learned from the book and my interview about the commitment the Sleeths had made to simple, intentional living. This commitment included a gracious, hospitable Shabbat observance.

Nancy told me that her husband had written a book on the Sabbath, and asked if I might be interested in receiving a copy of the book and its companion DVD. Based on what I knew of the Sleeth family from both Nancy’s book and their creation care ministry, I was eager to hear what Dr. Sleeth had to say about the Sabbath. We’ve neglected the Sabbath in our families and congregations, to our detriment. Most of us ignore it, in part an over-reaction, perhaps, against the legalisms of earlier generations. More likely, we are afraid of the story the unplugged stillness of the day might tell us. When we have our overscheduled lives to tell us how utterly necessary we are, we mute the message of re-creation, communion and holy joy the Sabbath is meant to give us one blessed day each week.

24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life is as gracious a book on the subject of the Sabbath as you will find. If ever there was someone who might be tempted to write in a prescriptive manner, it would be a doctor, right? Yet Dr. Sleeth avoids the almighty “should” in favor of invitation; the same sort of invitation that wooed him first toward a day of rest, and then to follow the One who offered him – and each one of us – that gift. Accessible, readable sections of the book include an exploration of our 24/7 world, a discussion about why we need to recalibrate to a 24/6 lifestyle that includes a seventh day of rest, some practical entry-ramp “how-to’s” and some rich thoughts on what a 24/6 life can look like. Appendices including 24/6 Scriptures, Quotes and Shabbat blessings round out the text.

The best summary of this excellent resource comes from Eugene Peterson’s introduction:

“The cumulative effect on me of this extended, comprehensive, and lively writing on Sabbath practice is a sense of how natural and inevitable it seems: Yes, of course, this is the way we have been created to live well. There is nothing obtrusive here, nothing that feels like an invasion of our privacy or an infringement of our ‘pursuit of happiness.’ This is not to say that the difficulties we face in Sabbath practice in our culture are not formidable obstructions in how we embrace the practice. Edmund Burke is often quoted saying, ‘Beware the terrible simplifiers.’ There is none of that here. But neither are there any onerous ‘Sabbath burdens’ placed on us. In Sabbath keeping we become more ourselves, not less. In Dr. Sleeth’s pithy sentence, ‘Sabbath is a time to transition from human doings to human beings.'”

I am very grateful that Nancy Sleeth sent 24/6 my way. If you’re grappling with what it looks like to observe the Fourth commandment – or you’re exhausted by your 24/8 life, and can’t figure out how where the “pause” button is – this book may be just what the doctor ordered. Recommended.