Are you tired OF the work, or are you tired IN the work? This is a helpful question when we’re feeling exhausted by work (paid or unpaid). It can help us discern whether we’re burned out, ready for a change, or just in dire need of quality rest.
A few days ago, I attended a workshop on Sabbath keeping. While Sunday is the traditional Sabbath day, your Sabbath can be a different day of the week or just a portion of a day. The point is that it be characterized by rest, release, recovery and restoration for the purpose of keeping you connected to the holy.
Here are a few things I learned:
- Sabbath is God’s invitation to set aside the to-do list and the pressure that comes with deadlines, and to let things unfold without your influence.
- Sabbath helps us release our tendency toward, and belief in, scarcity – the idea that there is not enough time, people or money for the work; that we are not enough; or that we are not tired enough to deserve rest.
- Just like muscle recovery is necessary for an athlete, recovery of mind, body and heart is necessary for all of us to live more fully into who God created us to be.
I was also reminded that Exodus 35:3, which forbids lighting a fire on the Sabbath, meant that it was impossible to cook on the Sabbath. When we’re trying to rest, we must resist the temptation to light a fire because, otherwise, it might lead us to start cooking – i.e., doing something that interferes with our rest.
What constitutes lighting a fire for you? Opening the laptop? Checking email? Looking at social media? I know a chef who forbids herself from opening the refrigerator on her Sabbath because it prompts her into work mode. The temptation to cook is just too great!
Finally, it’s important to (1) plan your week so that you can have a Sabbath and (2) plan for what will happen during your Sabbath time. Right now, I’m not only applying this wisdom to my weekly Sabbath day (Mondays) but also to my upcoming sabbatical. This July marks my tenth year of service at Incarnation, so I will be taking a sabbatical during the months of July and August.
I’m happy to say I’m not tired OF my work here at Incarnation in the least. I love our parish more than ever and thank God every day for you and the privilege of being your Rector. But I am tired IN the work and am looking forward to stepping away so that I can come back energized with fresh vision and excitement for our work together this fall and beyond.
June will be a month of preparation for me to be gone. I already have a roster of Sunday preachers so that Incarnation will continue to be blessed with multiple voices in the pulpit. I am grateful for Fr. Greg, who will be your clergy point-person in my absence. And several Vestry members and other lay leaders are stepping up to claim some extra responsibility.
But we aren’t there yet. Volunteers get thin on the ground during summer months, and we need your help! As a start, please consider joining the Usher Corps, Altar Guild, Hospitality Committee, Lay Readers or Chalice Bearers. This is a great time to expand our volunteer base, so let me know if you’d like to learn more about any of these ministries.
You’ll be hearing more from me about sabbatical plans. As you make your own plans for the summer, I hope they include plenty of Sabbath time that feeds your spirit and draws you closer to God. For “in returning and rest you shall be saved.” (Isaiah 30:15).
Adrian+