Time. For many of us, there just never seems to be enough of it. Time to get all our work done. Time to relax. Time to heal. Time to reflect. Time to spend with family and friends. Time to read, cook, create something new. Time to engage as neighbors and as concerned citizens. Time to pray. Time to exercise. Time to take care of ourselves and others. So how do we go about finding a little more time?

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the sabbath day is meant as a time to intentionally take a break. It is one of our 10 commandments (remember the sabbath, to keep it holy.). Even the word “sabbath” is derived from the Hebrew word meaning “to rest” or “to stop.”

In his book entitled “The Sabbath,” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, “The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.”

Celebrating time is a choice. Allowing others to also have enough time in their day for what’s important in life is also a choice. As the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote, “Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.'”

However one might understand or practice sabbath-keeping, whenever time is intentionally taken to rest and just stop, we allow ourselves a chance to experience time as a gift rather than as a limitation or burden. When we make time for sabbath-keeping, we remind ourselves that there are alternatives to the proverbial rat-race and the business of keeping up with all the latest trends. How we spend our time is a reflection of what we hold dear. How we prioritize what we make time for can remind us that, in fact, there is an alternative way of living and being.

So instead of waiting for Facebook to crash again or for an epic snow day to shut everything down, take some regular time in your life to just stop. Whether it is Sunday morning at a house of worship or Tuesday evening out on the back patio with friends and family or a day out hiking, be sure to take some time to just stop! Make a little time for your spirit. Re-center yourself. Reconnect with what you hold dear.