Of the thousands of high school and college students I’ve taught, there is one “how summer break changed my life” story I will never forget. 

With my husband Matthew, I traveled  to a university in the Midwest near the end of spring semester. We had been asked to speak to an amphitheater of health sciences students. After some introductory remarks, we opened the session to questions.

A young woman raised her hand, asking, “Would it be okay if I shared a personal story?”

“Sure!” We invited her to stand up so everyone could hear.

“For a long time, I’ve felt called to serve in healthcare,” she started.  “But freshman year, I quickly became overwhelmed. There were so many choices and distractions.

“By the time finals came around, I was stressed out. I tried squeezing a whole semester’s worth of work into the last couple of weeks. It did not end well. I was put on academic probation.

“I promised my parents I would stay focused on my classes spring semester. But after the first couple of weeks, I saw my dreams slipping away. Bottom line was that I ended the year with a D average. 

“Before summer break, a hall mate handed me a book that she thought I should read. This friend was getting great grades without looking stressed all the time. Keeping the Sabbath, she said, was her ‘secret sauce.’ 

“I figured I had nothing to lose, so I read the book. Growing up, I had always gone to church, but in every other way Sundays were pretty much the same as the other days of the week. 

“So, I made a promise to myself: Over the summer, I would try a Sabbath challenge. No homework, no chores, no shopping on Sundays — just time with family, friends, and God. 

“I won’t kid you; it was hard at first. I had a summer job, and I had a couple of classes to retake.  But once I figured out how important it was to prepare for Sabbath during the other six days of the week, I began to see positive results. 

“As part of my Sabbath prep, I cleaned out a bunch of junk from my room. I cut back on social media and stopped being late for everything. I stopped majoring in the minors. By the time fall semester started, I was an enthusiastic Sabbath keeper.  

“Now, more than a year into my Sabbath practice, I’ve made dean’s list two semesters in a row, and my dream of a career in healthcare is back on track!”

The young woman sat down to enthusiastic applause.  The rest of the hour sailed by, as the students discussed what their ideal Sabbath would look like, the obstacles that clutter their calendars and their lives, and who to enlist to help them succeed.

A Time Debt

Young adults can constantly feel on the go. A lifestyle without Sabbath routines takes a huge toll. It can feel like a time debt. We overcommit. We multi-task. We stay so busy we don’t have enough time for relationships with family, friends, or God. 

The result? Non-stop stress. When I asked my husband Matthew, a physician, about the physical consequences of stress, he gave me a mini lesson on the endocrine system. If your body never knows when the next “stop day” is coming, it sends out stress hormones. These hormones are commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. 

Matthew went on to explain that when we are under stress long-term, our bodies produce another stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol production contributes to a host of medical conditions, including depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, digestive problems, weight gain, acne, and memory and concentration impairment. The bottom line: Constant stress doesn’t just make us tired and grumpy; it makes us ill. 

6 Ways to Take Back Your Time

In today’s fast-paced world, keeping the Sabbath is countercultural. It doesn’t just happen by default. If you want to try keeping to the Sabbath, you will need to be intentional.

Block off time for the Sabbath on your calendar.

It won’t happen unless you schedule it. Take this moment to pull out your calendar and schedule a weekly Sabbath throughout the summer. 

Plan and prepare.

If you long to lay down your heavy burdens, you’ll need to be more intentional about your time during the other six days of the week. On the eve of your Sabbath, finish your chores and homework. Straighten up your room. Update your calendar, answer emails and texts, and make a to-do list for the coming week. Preparing for the Sabbath is liberating and life-giving.

Figure out what rest means to you.

Scholars have argued for centuries about how to define rest. Define what work is for you and don’t do it on your Sabbath.

If you are engaged in sedentary work during the week, taking a hike on the Sabbath might be restful. If you do physically demanding work, holy rest might mean taking a nap. The Hebrew word for holy is “kadosh,” which means “set apart.” Set aside your work for one day and follow God’s holy rhythm of work and rest. 

Pray and play.

Eugene Peterson, author of “The Message,” once said that there are only two rules for Sabbath: pray and play. Peterson often said that Sabbath-keeping is the best thing he ever did for his marriage, his children, and his ministry.

My family and I have been keeping the Sabbath for over two decades, and all I can say is “Amen!” Now grown, our children kept the Sabbath throughout high school, college, medical school, and residency. The Sabbath gave them something almost none of their peers had: a day of complete rest. This was  one day each week when they were beloved not as a human doing, but as a human being. 

Consider a screen-free Sabbath.

The average young person spends 8 to 10 hours per day on a screen. I have found that the times on Sabbath I spend not looking at a screen are by far the most healing. On Sabbath, try to spend more time outdoors in the God-made world rather than in the man-made world. You will wake up the next morning feeling more refreshed on every level.

Find a Sabbath buddy.

Sabbath is best practiced in community. Find a Sabbath buddy. Help each other to create a Sabbath plan: what you’ll need to do to get ready, what you’ll do and not do on your day of rest, and how you’ll celebrate. Then, check in and encourage each other. 

Trade Busyness for Summer

Here’s my challenge for you: Engage in a Sabbath experiment this summer. Commit to spend one day each week resting and restoring, praying and playing, and being still and knowing God. 

Come fall, you will not only celebrate the start of a new school year, you will celebrate a decluttered life and a renewed you! 

This article was originally titled “Day of Play” in the April 2026 issue of Peer.