My family and I recently got back from our vacation in Florida. Our time as a family was filled with fun, adventure, relaxation, and connection. I can’t tell you what a gift it was to put my phone away and “let go” of phone calls, emails, txts, and work. This Sabbath for our family allowed us to reflect and remember the love we share with one another and the love that God has for us.
Part of taking a Sabbath means that we need to prepare for rest (remember the Israelites who gathered extra food on the 6th day while in the wilderness?) and that we are intentional in our rest. Too many of us in taking vacations or time away from the office, fail to set up good boundaries for our absence (such as getting extra work done ahead of time/making sure people know who to contact in our absence) and end up checking email or make a “quick call” to the office to handle that “urgent” issue. As this happens we may physically be out of the office, but our mind never stops working. When we fail to “let go” we are easily taken away from the moment in front of us (being with the family, kids, etc) and are mentally transported to some other moment that may seem important but has little to no connection to what is happening around us right now. As a result we become more and more defined by the production of our hands instead of one of God’s unique creations and end up missing some of the beautiful things God does before us everyday.
My family and I can’t stay in Florida forever (sorry kiddos) and need to get back to reality; a reality that includes phone calls, emails, and work. Yet as we’ve returned Misty and I have been intentional about finding ways in which we cannot only turn off our phones and emails, but also our brains from the work we find so important. In doing so we hope to create a rhythm of participating in Sabbath yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily all so we might stay connected to what matters most.
What are some things you do in order to “let go” of work and rest in what is important in life?
What practices have you found helpful when resting to keep your mind from wondering to work, etc?
4 comments:
I don't :(
There is no easy way to put our work in God's hands, work is where we feel a certain amount of control and God's hands are certainly not in our control. For that reason, we often keep our "work life" and our "spiritual life" in separate compartments - or so we convince ourselves.
In the world of work, there is a high premium paid for those who do not demand a separation of work and anything else. If you will "always be available", checking your e-mail or Blackberry (etc.)there is possibly a place for you.
My experience is that I am highly susceptible to the positive reinforcement - in close to real time - that work provides while God's "well done" is generally not as tangible or immediate.
Sabbath pulls against our instinct to be in control and I appreciate being reminded I was created with a need for Sabbath on purpose and for my benefit. I'll keep trying to stop trying!
Rick, you touch on a great point and the importance of Sabbath. The systems of this world do measure us by our "production" and "availability" and so we are only as valuable as what we can produce. Sabbath reminds us that our value is not tied to our production but to our relationship with God.
May you find rest in knowing that God's "well done" is not contingent on your level of production. - peace
Joe - hope you find some rest brother!
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