Sabbath

Sabbath has never been easy for me. I come from the "Weaver work award" family and was always encouraged to work hard if I want to achieve anything. This can be a very good thing. But it can also be a very exhausting thing. When it comes time for resting and taking a break, I (like so many other people) have a hard time tucking away the to-do list and giving in to rest.

This Lenten season I'm attempting to be more intentional about Sabbath. I'm also living simply with 7 other folks here at the Seminary, which I'll write about next week.

What does it mean to be intentional about Sabbath? I still don't know. But I flipped through Abraham Joshua Heschel's book The Sabbath and was reminded of why this sacred practice is so important. He writes: "Creating Shabbat begins with a sense of longing...it is not we who long for a day of rest, but the Sabbath spirit that is lonely and longs for us." This Jewish explanation of Sabbath definitely falls in line with my Reformed theology, in that God beckons us to be in relationship with God. That's the very nature of who God is. So it makes sense that God would long for us to create a space for Sabbath. Easier said than done.

I used to think Sabbath had to literally mean "do nothing." This notion reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Stranger Than Fiction, with the scene where Harold does nothing all day.

But now I realize there's more to it than not working or shopping or whatever we do to fill our time. There has to be some sort of intention behind it.


I think I did a pretty good job this weekend with a sunset to sunset sort of deal, starting on Saturday evening:

I walked Chloe, and checked out my tree cozy. Then I listened to music and filled picture frames with pictures, something I've been meaning to do since I moved in here 18 months ago (I don't count that project as work, since I spent time reflecting on my friendships and my wonderful family). Then I called it a night early since Daylight Savings was going to kick my butt the next morning. That brings us to Sunday morning. I woke up at 8, which felt like wretched 7, to watch my old person show. Got ready for church. Did church. Rehearsed for the Easter play. Came home for lunch and then went on a 2 hour bike ride.

By sunset I felt restored. And then I hiked to the library to start working on a paper. Since it is Spring Break, I was the only idiot there. But I'm going to New York on Wednesday and I want to be intentional about my time there, which means I'm bringing very little school work with me. Spending the first half of my Spring Break in the library is a small price to pay for opening up space for intentional living in New York. And maybe even a Sabbath day while I'm there.