The 6/7 Rythm We All Need

*To my regular readers: this blog is written by my husband Jon, who felt inspired to share his thoughts with you all. I absolutely love his heart and perspective. I hope you find it thought-provoking and challenging as I did. -- Ashley

Our seven-year-old and his friends love the 6/7 trend. They incorporate it into as many. conversations as possible.

If you’ve spent any time around kids, teenagers, or the internet lately, you’ve probably also encountered the 6/7 meme—one of those bits of “brain rot” that seems to appear everywhere for no particularly good reason. It’s silly. It’s repetitive. And, honestly, sometimes it’s pretty annoying.

But this morning, during our men’s group, I found myself thinking about 6/7 in a completely different way.

We were talking about Sabbath and rest.

In Genesis 2 we read: ^"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.  Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

God established a rhythm: six days of work and one day of rest. Six days to labor, create, build, serve, provide, and pursue the things He has called us to do—and then one day to stop.

To rest.

To worship.

To remember that the world keeps turning even when we stop working.

And perhaps that’s one of the hardest things about Sabbath: it requires faith.

Choosing to rest means trusting that God is still at work when we aren't. It means believing that our worth isn't ultimately measured by our productivity and that everything doesn't depend on us.

There’s something else I’ve been thinking about: God can do more with our abilities in six days than we can do on our own in seven.

That sounds backwards to us. We naturally think that if six days of work is good, then seven days must be even better. More hours. More effort. More productivity. More accomplishment.

But Sabbath challenges that assumption.

It reminds us that our effectiveness doesn't ultimately come from squeezing every possible minute out of our week. It comes from faithfully using what God has given us and trusting Him with what we cannot control.

One thought from our conversation especially stuck with me: Sabbath isn't simply about recovering from the previous week. It's about preparing for the week ahead.

Rest isn't just hitting the reset button because we're exhausted. It's intentionally stepping away from our work to remember who God is, who we are, and who is actually in control before we begin again.

Six days of work. One day of rest.

Maybe that 6/7 rhythm is worth paying attention to—even if the internet has managed to turn 6/7 into a silly meme.

And perhaps there’s another 6/7 worth considering.

In Leviticus 25, God talks about this rhythm: "The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai,  'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord'"

The Sabbath year wasn’t simply about stopping work; it was an invitation to trust God, remember His provision, and make space to listen to Him. What might it look like for us to practice that same kind of intentional pause?

What if every six or seven years we intentionally created some space to pause and reflect?

To look back at the gifts, talents, experiences, relationships, and opportunities God has entrusted to us. To consider what He has been teaching us and how He has shaped us.

And then to look ahead and ask not simply, “What do I want to do for the next six or seven years?” but “Where is God leading me?”

Maybe 6/7 doesn't have to be just brain rot.

Maybe it can be a reminder.

Six days of work. One day of rest.

Six years of building, serving, learning, and growing. Then perhaps a season to pause, reflect, listen, and prayerfully consider what God might be inviting us into next.

Because maybe the lesson of 6/7 is ultimately this: we don't need seven days of our own effort when we're willing to give God six days of faithful work and trust Him with the seventh.

The Sabbath reminds us that rest isn't wasted time.

Sometimes, rest is where we remember that our lives belong to God in the first place.

What does this mean practically?

For our family, practicing sabbath looks like:

• Going to church on Sunday

• Not grocery shopping, doing laundry or house chores on Sunday (Unless absolutely necessary)

• Making family time a priority on Sunday. We honestly say "No" to a lot of good things, events, sports on Sunday so that we can protect that time to be together and rest.

• Preparing an easy, low-clean up meal for Sunday lunch so that we don't spend half the afternoon cleaning the kitchen

Your family might find different or other ways to observe sabbath. Whatever it looks like for you, it is important to set apart time for rest and focusing on the Lord-- not because it is a suggestion, but because it is a command. And because it actually improves the quality of our lives.