In one of the last installments relating to our bodies as part of this redemptive work, the author addresses the issue of Sabbath.
In a culture that promotes busyness and getting more things done than the next person as a measure of success, it’s difficult for us to process that committing 1/7th of our week to rest, could make us even more productive.
After being part of numerous silent retreats one of the funny statements is “You haven’t come to a point of rest until the twitching stops.” The need to reach for my phone, fill up the silence, do something with my hands, solve some issue in my personal life, work life, family life. Sitting still seems so unproductive.
But what if these are the moments when we slow down enough to encounter God. Think about the Old Testament heroes that were shepherds. Talk about hours of silent reflection to ponder. To decompress from the rushed state we live in to the restful state of simply “being” and not just “doing”
I have a Pastor friend who like many, takes four weeks of vacation. He has decided to take them all in the month of July. I always feel like a week of vacation barely is enough to break the cycle of busyness, that really two weeks is better. Imagine four all together!
But I’ve always thought about the idea of 52 days of vacation regularly throughout the year. One day every week to release everything that is not God. To be overwhelmed by Him on that day, then press in to my work week.
What kind of solitude and silence could you carve out in your week? No phone in the AM, no radios in your car (just prayer), 30 Minutes of TV cut out in the evening, lunch break dedicated to devotional thought. Take your pick, but find a way to discover a moment to hear through Gods word and through some silence. Wait for the twitching to stop…
Truth, Grace, and Time 