In some respects, life has always been stressful. However, it seems to me that, in the last twenty years or so, it has become even more so. Advances in technology—such as cell phones, laptop computers, the internet, etc.—have made it possible to work literally “around the clock” … and a good many of us are! We eat on the run … we have conference calls while on the road … we check our emails late into the evening, and then again first thing in the morning.

It is no wonder that so many of us are feeling stressed out, worn down, and fed up. It is also not a surprise that God anticipated all of this, and hence commanded us to rest from time to time. Notice that I didn’t say “strongly recommended.” Keeping the Sabbath is not a recommendation … it is a requirement.

In fact, it is the longest commandment; and it is the only one which is explained differently in the Exodus and Deuteronomy versions of the Ten Commandments. In Exodus, the rationale for keeping the Sabbath is based on the creation story. Since God worked six days and rested on the seventh—so should we!

In other words, the concept of “taking a break from our busyness” is not something that the Almighty suddenly came up with on Mount Sinai. It is a practice that has existed from the very beginning, and it pertains to all of life—including the animals (the Book of Leviticus even extends it to the land). The whole created order is to observe regular periods of cessation, stepping back, and catching one’s breath.

However, when this commandment is stated in Deuteronomy, the reason given is not the creation story, but because “we were once slaves in Egypt and God freed us from slavery.” From this perspective, we begin to realize that work, and the incessant tyranny of time, can be just as oppressive as Pharaoh himself.

For example, when we say to ourselves, “If I don’t keep at it, I will never finish my work”—then we become slaves of the clock. When we say, “If I don’t keep at it, I’ll never accomplish what I need to do”—we become slaves of productivity. And the bottom line is that God does not want us to be slaves to anyone … or anything. We have been set free from all of that!

I guess it really comes down to this: Who is running your life right now? Is it the clock? Is it the “to do” list? Is it the need to be successful? Or the desire to climb the corporate ladder?

Who is calling the shots in your life? Because if your answer is anything other than God, then chances are that you need to take a Sabbath break and be reminded again of who is really in charge!