Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27
A Gift, Not a Rulebook
These are the words of Jesus to some Pharisees who were criticizing him and his disciples for "working" on the Sabbath. They weren't really working; they were just trying to get some food because they were hungry. They were just picking some heads of grain, but the Pharisees who observed the strictest version of the law saw that as the disciples working.
What Jesus ends up saying is radical for his time, where he says that the Sabbath was made for man. What this means is that God made the Sabbath to be a good rest for his people. It's not the other way around. God did not make man so that they would rest on the seventh day and that that's all they could do. No, rather, the Sabbath was made as a gift for humankind to rest from their labor and to be restored before they enter the week to come. They would do this through celebration, through eating and drinking and having fun and spending time with friends and family. That's the best version of the Sabbath.
The Pharisees' version of the Sabbath was one where nobody could walk more than three-quarters of a mile, nobody could pick heads of grain if they were hungry. If a donkey fell into a hole, well, it sucks to suck!
Rest Without the Legalism
Yes, rest is incredibly and extremely important. You should prioritize that rest, but you should also prioritize survival. If you're hungry, make food. If your animal is sick, take care of it. Do not try to figure out what the line is between rest and work and try not to cross it. That's how you get into a legalistic mindset. Instead, accept the rest that Jesus has for us. Take time each morning, each afternoon, whatever works best for you, to just spend time in his silence and in his quiet and experience the presence of God. We don't have to wait for a single day to experience rest with Jesus. No, we can do that any time that we set aside and dedicate to him.
I do encourage you to have a Sabbath time. I typically will take a 24-hour period from Friday night into Saturday night, but you don't have to do that. A couple of hours here and there, just a few moments away from the chaotic busyness of life with work and with kids, just step away and experience the life that God has for you and the rest that he wants you to encounter with him.
Prayer
Father, I thank you for your rest and for the ability to rest. I thank you that you have given us the opportunity to spend time with you however we are able to. You're always available to us, and so Lord, we submit to you and find rest in your love. We pray all this in Jesus' name, amen