Practical strategies for the resistance that comes when you decide to pause
By Michael Hirsch
The lawn care crew showed up at exactly 6:15 PM on our fourth Friday of practicing Sabbath.
Right as we lit the candles. Right as we began to settle into our sacred space. The roar of mowers and weed whackers shattered the peaceful atmosphere we’d carefully cultivated.
The noise was deafening. Our attempt at meaningful conversation became an exercise in shouting over landscaping equipment.
That’s when I realized something: the resistance to rest is real, and it has terrible timing.
The Pattern I Started Noticing
It wasn’t just the lawn crew. Week after week, as our Sabbath time approached, chaos seemed to magically appear.
Work emergencies that “couldn’t wait until Monday.” Kid meltdowns right before dinner. Technology malfunctions. Unexpected visitors. Social invitations that suddenly felt urgent.
It was like everything had conspired against our plans to rest.
At first, I thought it was coincidence. Then I started keeping track. In our first eight weeks of practicing Sabbath, we faced:
- 2 appliance breakdowns
- 3 work “emergencies” that turned out to be non-urgent
- 1 child’s emotional breakdown right as we lit the candles
- 4 last-minute social obligations (and one neighbor unexpected pop-by)
- A burned dinner in the oven – and smoke alarms!
- 1 very loud landscaping crew with impeccable timing
The pattern was too consistent to be random.
The Spiritual Reality Behind the Resistance
Here’s what I’ve come to understand: when you decide to create sacred space for God’s presence, you’re making a declaration in both the visible and invisible realms.
You’re saying, “I belong to God, not to the treadmill of productivity.” You’re declaring that your worth isn’t tied to your output. You’re choosing connection over chaos.
That declaration will be tested.
Not because you’re doing something wrong, but because you’re doing something significant. The enemy of your soul knows that a person connected to their Creator is infinitely more powerful than someone running on empty.
The resistance you feel isn’t an accident. It’s confirmation that you’re disrupting patterns that needed disrupting.
The External Obstacles (And How to Handle Them)
The Work “Emergency”
You know the one. The email marked “URGENT” that arrives at 5:30 PM on Friday. The call from a colleague who “just needs five minutes.” The client crisis that apparently can’t wait until Monday.
Strategy: Create a “Sabbath folder” in your email. When work issues arise during your sacred time, forward them there with a note: “Will address Monday morning.” You’d be amazed how many “urgent” things resolve themselves over the weekend.
Reality check: In three years of protecting our Sabbath time, exactly zero true emergencies have occurred during those hours. Zero.
The Social Pressure
Friends invite you to Friday evening events. Family members don’t understand why you’re suddenly “unavailable.” People question your priorities or make you feel like you’re being antisocial.
Strategy: Be graciously firm. “Friday evening is our family’s sacred time together. Would Saturday work instead?” Most people respect clear boundaries more than wishy-washy availability.
Script that works: “We’ve started a weekly tradition of unplugging and connecting as a family. It’s been amazing for us. How about we find another time that works?”
The Household Crisis
Appliances break. Pipes leak. Kids get sick. Dogs escape. Life happens with remarkably poor timing.
Strategy: Decide in advance what constitutes a true emergency versus an inconvenience. True emergencies require immediate attention. Inconveniences can wait until after your sacred time.
Question to ask: “Will waiting three hours to address this cause irreparable harm?” Usually, the answer is no.
The Internal Battles (The Harder Ones)
The Productivity Guilt
That voice that whispers, “You’re being lazy. Look at all the things you could be accomplishing right now. Successful people don’t take breaks.”
Strategy: Remember that God Himself rested. If the Creator of the universe modeled the rhythm of work and rest, who are you to think you don’t need it?
Truth to remember: You’re not avoiding responsibility. You’re modeling wisdom for your family and recharging for more effective engagement with your calling.
The Control Anxiety
The fear that everything will fall apart if you’re not managing it. The compulsive need to check email “just in case.” The inability to trust that God is bigger than your to-do list.
Strategy: Start small. Begin with just one hour of complete disconnection. Gradually increase as you build trust that the world continues functioning without your constant oversight.
Practical step: Write down your worst-case scenarios. What’s the actual likelihood of each happening? What would you do if they did occur? Having a plan reduces anxiety.
The FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
The worry that everyone else is having important conversations, making crucial decisions, or experiencing meaningful moments while you’re “just sitting at a table.”
Strategy: Reframe FOMO as JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). What are you gaining by being fully present to what matters most? What are you missing when you’re constantly available to everything else?
Perspective shift: The most important conversations are happening at your table. The most crucial relationships are with the people sitting across from you.
Building Your Resistance Plan
Before Sabbath:
- Handle as many urgent tasks as possible earlier in the week
- Set out-of-office messages that set expectations
- Prepare meals in advance to reduce Friday evening stress
- Have a “Sabbath emergency kit”: candles, simple backup meal options, conversation starters
During Resistance:
- Take three deep breaths before responding to any interruption
- Ask: “Is this truly urgent, or does it feel urgent?”
- Remember your why: Why did you commit to this practice?
- Use the phrase: “Let me check on that after our family time”
When You Want to Quit:
- Remember that resistance often peaks right before breakthrough
- Start smaller rather than abandoning the practice entirely
- Focus on connection over perfection
- Remind yourself that showing up imperfectly is better than not showing up at all
The Breakthrough on the Other Side
Here’s what I’ve discovered after three years of fighting for our Sabbath time: the resistance never fully disappears, but it loses its power to derail you.
You develop spiritual muscle memory. You learn to distinguish between true emergencies and manufactured urgency. You discover that protecting sacred time actually makes you more effective during your work time.
Most importantly, you realize that the very intensity of the resistance proves how valuable what you’re protecting really is.
The things that fight hardest against your rest are often the things that most need to be resisted. The chaos that opposes your peace is exactly what your soul needs refuge from.
Your Battle Plan
This Friday, when the resistance comes (and it will), remember:
- The resistance is confirmation, not condemnation
- Perfect circumstances will never exist
- Showing up imperfectly is better than not showing up at all
- You’re not just protecting your rest—you’re modeling wisdom for those watching
Light that candle even if the kitchen is a mess. Speak that blessing even if your voice is shaky. Create that sacred space even if everything else feels chaotic.
Because on the other side of the resistance is the peace your soul has been searching for. The connection your family has been craving. The rest that will restore you for everything you’re called to do.
Fight for it. It’s worth fighting for.
Ready to overcome the resistance and create your own sacred space? Take the Pressing Pause Challenge this week.
Need more encouragement for the journey? Read how one family discovered this practice in The Spoon in the Cereal Puzzle.
Get the complete toolkit for establishing Sabbath rhythms in a chaotic world: Pressing Pause on Amazon.
Michael and Selah Hirsch are the founders of Start Sabbath, helping leaders, achievers, and families around the world discover the gift of sacred rest.
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