I believe in the Biblical principle of a sabbath as much as the next person. But practicing it is a different story. For me a Sabbath meant not going to the church office, but that was pretty much the only difference (As a pastors Sundays aren't a great "sabbath" so I take Fridays). And lately I have just been noticing that I felt sluggish, irritable, and generally tired.
After thinking about it for a while I realized that my sabbath was just that I didn't go in the church, but it wasn't a true "unplugging" and resting.
So last Friday I shook things up. I slept until I woke up without an alarm. I ate well- healthy whole meals (no fast food), skipped the gym (*gasp*), didn't turn the tv on, no iPad, no leadership/theology reading, and when I got tired mid-afternoon I slept for 2 more hours!
It was amazing once I removed busyness how quickly my body wanted to crash.
Here's the best part...I was inifitely more productive on Saturday! I was up early, sermon came together much, much faster, had a great workout, carved out family time, and that continued into Sunday. It's almost like I was....rested!
Julia and I have decided this will be our new Friday-Sabbath practice.
I don't care who you are- you are not a machine. Caffeine may mask it for a while, but you cannot function flat out forever. You need to rest. You need to re-charge your batteries.
So I challenge you, try a true Sabbath, not just a "not going to work day", but truly unplugging. Slow down. Enjoy putting your feet up. Nap. It may be the most productive day you have!
I hear you, P. AJ....now to put your words of wisdom into practice....
ReplyDeleteOne of the pastors at our church has preached on this a couple of times. She wrote her thesis about the theology of play! :)
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