Sabbatical: Reflections From Rest – A Good Stopping Point

It was apparent that Marty’s Eulogy was a sign from the Lord.

As Joy and I continued our call she asked more questions…

“What would happen if “this” all disappeared tomorrow?”

This.

The grind of busyness and meeting needs all around.

The barrage of dings and notifications.

The never-ending list of what I should be doing.

The “this” for you might look different but for me it was just a gnawing sense of having one more thing left.

No matter how many to-do’s I get done, there is always another.

You too?

But what if it all disappeared?

My answer came so quickly you would think I knew she was going to ask.

Without hesitation… “You know what I would do, Joy?”

“I would go to Sprint and get a dumb phone. The flip phones, like I just bought my grandmother.”

“Next, I would delete all social media accounts.”

“And third. I’d plant a garden.”

Yep. There it was. Three things sitting on the edge of my soul just waiting on someone to see them.

Joy sat in silence with me. Letting me feel the weight of my own words… then, “Wow. So much emotion. I can feel the freedom and hope in your voice. Now…How? You hear what your soul is asking, but how do you respond? What steps do you take to answer?”

Oh gosh. This felt so big. And honestly so self-indulgent. I mean… who am I to just stop? To seemingly abandon all of my responsibilities to rest for an extended amount of time?

Well. I know someone else who saw the importance of a good stop.

On the seventh day, God had finished His work of creation so He rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it Holy because it was the day when He rested from all His work of creation. Genesis 2:2-3

Please don’t let familiarity rob you of this profound revelation.

God finished His work – OF CREATION – and rested from it ALL.

So let me make a suggestion. Do we really think that creation was done? Like – there could always be something else to do, right?!

It is CREATION for goodness sake.

One more petal.

Were cumulous clouds a thing?

What about snow? Had He gotten to that?

And coffee. Surely there was coffee, right? What is sabbath without a good pour over?

You get my point.

One more email. The weeds out front. The laundry still in the dryer. Responding to that text. A potential client. The kids’ permission slip. Checking homework. The yard needs a mow. And the leaves. (Lord have mercy – the leaves.)

.….From all His work.

I like to imagine God taking a minute on day six, looking out across creation and saying… “This is a good stopping point, I can pick up on day 8.”

And guess what?

So. Can. We.

And on day 8 we get back at it with a refreshed soul.

Like God…. we get back to the garden.

And well. That is exactly what I did.