Last week, my doctor told me that "what I really need" (in order to shake this nasty virus that keeps stealing my voice) is a couple of days of rest, preferably with someone else watching Little Miss. I actually laughed in her face!
This is the real world, I told her (well, actually, I just thought it in my head, because laughing at her was already a little rude, and also, the virus had stolen my voice).
In the real world (said my brain) you can't just stop and rest, because while you are trying to rest you will just be worrying about having even less time to do all the GAZILLION things that you didn't have enough time to do before you tried to rest.
Then I went to church on Sunday evening and it was a bit like (read "exactly like") God laughed in MY face...
I already knew the topic was going to be Sabbath.
I already knew I had to pay proper attention because one of my lovely young people couldn't make it and had asked me to let her know "the gist" of what was covered.
I already knew that setting aside time to rest, renew and restore is something God wants me to prioritise.
I already knew that God made me as a human being, not a human "doing".
But I had forgotten.
I'd forgotten that it's not me that makes the world happen!
I'd forgotten that we are supposed to "work from rest, rather than rest to work."*
I'd ignored the fact that "not taking Sabbath is a sin."**
Eeshk. (No, not a word, but the best group of letters at my disposal to describe precisely my state of being at that moment).
So then we had our discussion time, and a question posed was - what does your Sabbath look like? What can you give your time to and guarantee that you will come out the other side refreshed and renewed? What helps you pause and breathe and thank?
And the answer was out of my mouth before my brain had even cottoned on (not an unusual occurrence for me). "Writing."
Writing is where I find my stillness, my rest, my peace. It's not my only Sabbath, but it's a very important one that I have been neglecting. So here I am. This is my Sabbath. What's yours? (Really - I am very interested and actually asking you! Let me know in the comments!)
*Mark Buchanan
** Pete Scazzaro
