Sabbatical - Day 14
It's been awhile since I just sat quietly on a Sunday morning, no responsibility, no place to rush off too, no problems to solve. Just to be still. It's a gorgeous sunny day, very peaceful...I am very blessed. After 2 weeks, I feel like I just beginning to slow down, inside. I'm sure I'm not the only one who struggles with this. "Regular" life seems so full of tasks, responsibilities, email to respond to...almost an endless barrage of 'things to do' on many different levels, that to slow down...be still...has become 'unnatural'.
The moment there's a bit of empty space, the mind races to think through all the options of what it should be filled with. Why is that? Why is it so hard to 'stop'?
In my first class at Regent we went through the whole book of John. Of course there are a number of instances where Jesus and the Pharisees get into issues around the 'sabbath'. Darrell went off on a small trail about how our culture today has lost our understanding of the need for and purpose of the sabbath, and how we are ultimately paying for it. He brought out how God's command re the sabbath wasn't merely about just giving us another law to follow, but rather helping us realize that that is how the Manufacturer designed the equipment to operate. He read a quote from Time Magazine "our pace of life does not fit the species". Even Time Mag 'gets it' at one level. Darrell made another statement that the "fourth commandment gives us the 'rhythm of life'".
I realize that creates another whole dialogue as to "what then does one do or not do on the sabbath?" Or is that even the question. A dialogue for another time, if anyone is interested - maybe in the comment field. I do think this is something that we need to keep challenging each other on - there is SO much pushing all of us the other direction, do more, in less time, the pursuit of efficiency. We (I) have forgotten that even in the area of efficiency, I may do far better to follow THE Manufacturer's 'operating manual'.
Some musings for a Sunday morning. Now, off to be creative with some music!!
The moment there's a bit of empty space, the mind races to think through all the options of what it should be filled with. Why is that? Why is it so hard to 'stop'?
In my first class at Regent we went through the whole book of John. Of course there are a number of instances where Jesus and the Pharisees get into issues around the 'sabbath'. Darrell went off on a small trail about how our culture today has lost our understanding of the need for and purpose of the sabbath, and how we are ultimately paying for it. He brought out how God's command re the sabbath wasn't merely about just giving us another law to follow, but rather helping us realize that that is how the Manufacturer designed the equipment to operate. He read a quote from Time Magazine "our pace of life does not fit the species". Even Time Mag 'gets it' at one level. Darrell made another statement that the "fourth commandment gives us the 'rhythm of life'".
I realize that creates another whole dialogue as to "what then does one do or not do on the sabbath?" Or is that even the question. A dialogue for another time, if anyone is interested - maybe in the comment field. I do think this is something that we need to keep challenging each other on - there is SO much pushing all of us the other direction, do more, in less time, the pursuit of efficiency. We (I) have forgotten that even in the area of efficiency, I may do far better to follow THE Manufacturer's 'operating manual'.
Some musings for a Sunday morning. Now, off to be creative with some music!!
posted by Randy at 9:37 AM
1 Comments:
having just spent my own sunday rushing around, except for the few moments when i would stop and try and think of how best to use my time, i fully empathize. saturday night through tuesday night is my non-stop on-duty time, and i have a zillion things to prepare for and manage (and then there's the inevitable girl-who-was-supposed-to-show-up-to-care-for-one-of-the-babies-part-time-isn't-coming-after-all, and then one of the babies gets horribly sick, and then pi ganniga gets horribly sick, and so we have to palm the other baby off on someone else so HE doesn't get horribly sick). this conversation is worthy of a blog of my own (which will probably happen after i get back, and things slow down a little...please let things slow down a little) but all of a sudden i realized that i only have 16 more days with my boys, and nothing that i was frantically doing at that time couldn't be done later, and so we spent a happy hour playing computer games and laughing before the mad rush of church started. it was a sunday indeed.
Post a Comment
<< Home