Gone For the Summer: Sabbatical Reflections

This past summer, my church family blessed my family with a 10-week sabbatical. This means that I had zero pastoral responsibilities for over two months. The primary purpose of the sabbatical was simply to give us the opportunity to rest. It was the first time in my adult life that I experienced something like this. I could write a monograph about the experiences we had and the lessons we learned, but I’ll table that for another time. Here, I simply want to highlight “twelve habits of rest” that we gleaned during the sabbatical. None of these are new or novel, but they are absolutely reshaping our day-to-day life as we seek to be spiritually healthy and happy people in a stressed-out, sprint-speed, breakneck-busy world. 

1.  Cultivate Thankfulness || In a society that is driven by consumerism, there is a profound power in cultivating an attitude of thankfulness (Psa 119:62; 1 Thess 5:16–18). Instead of perpetually dwelling on what is wrong or deficient in my life, I am continuing to discover the magic of verbally expressing my thankfulness. As I write this, I have an *abundance* of reasons to be stressed, but I am taking this moment to give thanks for the blueberries in front of me, the blue skies above me, the backyard chickens all around me, and the opportunity to write this blog. And, for the moment, my mind is at rest.

2.  Slow Down || In a culture that idolizes speed and efficiency, one of the healthiest practices for cultivating a rhythm of rest is simply to slow down (Psa 46:10). Take a stroll (instead of speed walking). Take time to taste your food (instead of inhaling it). Sip your drink (instead of slamming it). Linger after the church gathering (instead of rushing off). Try driving the speed limit and stopping at stop signs! Make eye contact with people, and then offer them a smile. It’s amazing what a slower pace does to the rhythm of your heart.

3.  Take Time to Play || My personality is driven by productivity. As a result, I can easily view playtime as wasted time. This summer, I was reminded that God created us as human “beings”, not human “doings”. He designed us for relationships, not for productivity. And one of the most life-giving ways to engage in relationships is by making time to play. Play with your children. Play with your spouse. Play with your friends. Make it a priority. Laughter truly does have the healing properties of medicine (Pro 17:22), and that’s what playtime is all about.

4.  Embrace Silence || We live in a multitasking culture that feels the need to fill every moment of silence with something (music, radio, podcasts, audiobooks, phone calls, etc.). I am learning to let the silence linger as I drive to work, to leave my cell phone home when I take a walk, to mow the lawn without my earbuds. This doesn’t mean that I never listen to podcasts or audiobooks; it simply means that I’m not *always* listening to them. I’m learning to embrace the silence (1 Kings 19:11–13), and (as awkward as it feels at times) the silence is giving space for rest.

5.  Simplify || The logic is simple: the more things you have in your possession and the more events you have on your calendar, the more you have keeping you busy, and the less time you have for rest. [Full transparency: this does not come easy for me.] I am product of my culture. I love accumulating possessions, and I love being busy. “Too much of a good thing is almost enough” – that’s been my motto. But I’m learning to embrace the alternative – that “less (truly) is more”. It’s the art of contentment (Phil 4:11), and contentment is the secret of rest.

6.  Practice Sabbath || God’s design in creation was for His people to rest for one full day every week (Exod 20:8). So, I’m learning how to really enter into this weekly day of rest (e.g., campfires, family walks, worshiping with family and friends, paddleboarding, eating our favorite foods, playing our favorite games, and doing nothing for the sake of being productive or efficient).

7.  Family Worship || At the close of the day, my family gathers into the living room for a time of family worship (Deut 6:6–9). We sing a couple songs, I read a story from the Bible, and then we go around the circle and pray for the things that are on our hearts. This has become one of the highlights of my day. It can be a little awkward and chaotic getting something like this started, but I always find my heart in a place of rest when we’re done.

8.  Natural Health Care || I am rediscovering the benefits of taking better care of the physical body that God has given me. We are wholistic creatures, meaning that our mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing is directly tied to our physical wellbeing. I am learning the incalculable value of (1) eating single-ingredient foods, (2) exercising on a daily basis, (3) spending more time outdoors, and (4) prioritizing better sleep habits. Hint: staring at a screen immediately before falling asleep is not conducive to healthy sleep.

9.  Filter Media Consumption || Ask the important questions as you consider the news and social media that you consume. For example: “Is this good & true & right according to God’s Word?” “Does this move my heart to worship or to worry?” I think most people would be tremendously helped by cutting out mainstream news outlets (which are unabashedly slanted in their views and negative in their offerings). The same is true for the vast majority of social media. My news intake is probably more guarded than Fort Knox. I have very few sources I trust. As a result, my mind is not swimming in the lies and negativity that bombards the soundwaves of mainstream media.

10. No Screen Spaces || When I was growing up, the family phone was physically attached to the wall. Today, our phones are attached to our hip pocket. They quite literally invade every square inch of our lives. “Where you go, I will go” (Ruth 1:16) is the mobile mantra. The statistics of our screen absorption are nothing short of staggering, and I am as much a culprit as anyone else. But I am learning to create spaces in my life where my cell phone is not allowed to intrude or interrupt, and it has been more restful and freeing than I could even begin to describe. I’m taking walks without my phone, eating meals without my phone, going to the bathroom without my phone, hanging out with friends without my phone, and going to bed without my phone. And it’s…amazing!

11. Be Present in the Moment || This can be particularly hard for me as I am notoriously distracted with 10,000 other thoughts. One of the most valuable lessons I gleaned during sabbatical is the restfulness of undistracted attention. I’m learning to have conversations with people in which I’m not simultaneously thinking about the email I need to send, the sermon I need to write, or the meeting I need to have. I’m learning to play with my children without simultaneously attempting to mentally troubleshoot the most recent church crisis. I’m learning to be fully engaged in the moment at hand, and it’s an unbelievably restful experience!

12. Bookend Your Day with Jesus || Start your day with Jesus. Before checking your email, before hitting the social media icon, before grabbing the newspaper (as if that was still a thing), take a moment to connect with the God who made you. And then end your day the same way. Instead of binging Netflix or mindlessly scrolling social media, close the day by unplugging from the world around you and connecting with your God and Savior.