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A mom was sharing these words from her teenage daughter as they were sitting near the bank of rushing river. "Do you hear that? Isn't it beautiful? It sounds so soothing." The mother shared that celebratory tears filled her eyes. She thought: "She's learning how to fill her cup. She is learning what soothes her soul. She's learning what she needs to thrive."
Where do you go for rest? What do you do to recharge? I believe that God longs for us to find times and places to soak in the gifts of creation and fill our cup, soothe our soul and thrive.
Author and Pastor, MaryAnn McKibben Dana says "I've preached on the story of the Hebrew people as slaves in Egypt and how Pharaoh heaped more and more work on them. I said, 'Sabbath isn't about being well rested so you can go back to Pharaoh's job site. Sabbath is about realizing that you don't want to make those bricks anymore."
So when you take time for Sabbath it's not just about the rest and renewal that you experience, but rather the perspective that you gain from giving your brain and body a break or diving into things that re-energize you. Given MaryAnn's perspective, how would you re-evaluate your "work" and your "Sabbath"? What are the things in your work load that could be done differently or taken off your plate? How can you spend time in Sabbath so that you gain perspective on how you spend the hours and days in your week? What are you being called to do with each day?
She went on to share a quote from Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs", "The happiest people I've met over the last few years have not followed their passion at all-they have instead brought it with them." So wherever you are in work life and family life, bring your passion and joy for life with you and know that you don't walk this journey alone.
But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: "Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end- Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you. Isaiah 43:1-4, The Message
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