It really goes against my nature to give myself buffer time and to stop. I am a dedicated processor, but even time for processing and prayer must be budgeted in the early morning hours or before I sleep, I’ve noticed. In my decision to be intentional about the ways I spend my hours and my days, I find myself filling my agenda and going nonstop to fit it all in.
This year, God has really been showing me, through various experiences here and in Thailand, what it means to make space in my life for Sabbath. I am surrounded by reminders and teachers who show me the importance of stopping and resting and soaking up the times of “just being” with God.
I decided, this summer, that I was going to really take serious the idea of having one day of rest a week. I made the commitment to honor the Sabbath on Sundays this year, which is currently me not doing any homework on Sundays and carving out specific chunks of time on Sunday afternoons for extended quiet time. It’s hard already, and crunch time hasn’t even hit me yet. But I’ve sacrificed a Saturday evening and two Monday mornings to pick up the slack, and it’s worth it to me. My housemates have all made similar commitments so we are able to hold each other accountable and encourage each other when it’s least convenient to Sabbath on Sundays.
This weekend, we decided to explore the idea of Sabbath further by changing ours to Saturday and going camping for the first half of the weekend. We honored the Sabbath with s’mores and stories over a fire, slow mornings, deliberate walking, and plenty of time for thinking and prayer. It was such a blessing to take that time and feel so supported and truly at rest.
It’s counter-cultural and it’s a personal struggle and it’s initially inconvenient, but it is so good and it is so refining and it is so important and it is so filling. Please continue to be my teachers and reminders of God’s purpose in this.
