The life of a college student is quite hectic, and each week brings with it new challenges. Day to day life is organized in a process of making sure things are completed. Maintaining school, work and a social life can become exhausting. The weekend does not necessarily mean a break for numerous students. As students at a Christian university, how do we follow God’s teachings and take a day for the Sabbath?

Effects of overworking

A study by Boston University professor Erin Reid found managers could not tell the difference between employees who actually worked 80 hours a week and those who just pretended to. While the neutrality this research found may not seem so bad, the effects of overworking and stress can be quite impactful. Further studies show the health issues that occur from going without rest include impaired sleeping, depression, diabetes, heavy drinking and increased likelihood of heart disease. These effects can seriously affect a college student’s academic career and their efforts in obtaining a job after college.

For Christians, a day of rest is part of how we live our lives. We believe in a God who rested and we can take encouragement from learning that others outside of Christianity also believe in taking rest. It is important for students to plan a time in the week to rest and spend time with the Lord. It is easy to skip over the Sabbath with being busy. It actually takes significant effort to prioritize a day, or a few hours, to sit and relax with God.

Carving out rest

The anxiety of doing nothing when you know there are things to be done is a driving factor as to why many do not take a day of rest. Having due dates and responsibilities is felt by every student and it can feel impossible to block everything out. Identifying what is holding yourself back from having a time of Sabbath is a great way to carve out a day of rest. Finding the areas in life which are given too much priority is wonderful in refocusing on one’s relationship with Christ. As Christians, taking a day of rest is inherently part of our faith. American theologian Walter Brueggemann puts it likes this: “Honoring the Sabbath is a form of witness. It tells the world that ‘there is enough.’” This principle of taking a day off may seem hard to implement as a college student with so much going on. Yet the resurgence which comes from spending time in God’s word and blocking out the stressfulness of life is incredible.