Sabbatical

I want to share a major revelation during that time for me. What got highlighted by stepping away from my normal rhythms and routines was the crazy and hurried pace of life that had become my norm. Being busy alone is not the danger-work is good and I absolutely adore getting to “work” in vocational ministry.

In our world today, so much is made of what we do, produce and accomplish instead of how we relate to others, who we are or are becoming. The quality of our work is celebrated at the cost of the essence of it. The other major component of that is the urgency with which we lead our lives. This was highlighted so clearly to me one morning as I’m sitting in traffic on the way to a beach in Hawaii and I started getting frustrated at having to wait. The ridiculousness of the whole situation was that I had nowhere to be at a certain time and I was sitting with a clear view of the beach and the crystal blue crashing waves. Could there have been a better time and place to pause and enjoy the present?!?! One small change I have made upon my return is to adjust the way my phone notifies me. I have turned off text message notifications (I’m not a very good millennial since it took me entirely too long to figure out how to do that) so that my attention isn’t led by urgency. I think this became so resonant to my soul because it’s a reminder that God is sovereign and He doesn’t need me to labor for Him ,but that He wants me to work with His Spirit.

 I was just so reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 2:14. “ But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” It is Him who has the victory and through us that His presence invades the earth. Today, as a byproduct of changing my pace and by being more selective on where my attention goes, I’m able to see the small ways the Lord is moving in the lives of people around me and in my own life more readily. The good news for all of us is that He is always moving, but I’m now more apt to notice. I pray that you too might be reminded to fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, and to experience that in His presence is the fullness of joy!