Blessed Are The Busy:
For They Shall Receive Holy Exhaustion
Speaking of Jessica’s excellent message yesterday about the need for Sabbath in our lives, i.e. Commandment #4, I have a favorite quote I’d like to share as a way to say, “Amen” to her words. Pastor Barbara Brown Taylor, describing her decision to take a year of jubilee where she would drastically limit the number of out of town engagements she took (and commit herself to only 40 hours a week of pastoral ministry), she wrote:
“I do not mean to make an idol of health, but it does seem to me that at least some of us have made an idol of exhaustion. The only time we know we have done enough is when we are running on empty and when the ones we love most are the ones we see the least. When we lie down to sleep at night, we offer our full appointment calendars to God in lieu of prayer, believing that God—who is as busy as we are—will surely understand.”
Ouch. That certainly rings true with me, or at least with those of us clergy who secretly pride ourselves in expending everything for our Lord while following our calling. There is a perverse sense of satisfaction that comes with reaching our physical, mental, and emotional limits, knowing that we must be significant if our time and energy is in so much demand.
In addition to all the good ideas Pastor Jessica shared, here are some more ideas that help you on the road to recreation and rest in God.
Some Sabbath Suggestions:
Archived Posts
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When I research a sermon, such as Sunday’s message on judgmentalism, I always try to think through some practical steps or tips in how to implement God’s desire for our lives. I rustled together a herd of ideas this week and I offer them to you.
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Sunday morning, we took a look at Jesus’ command to make our enemies into neighbors and loving our neighbors as ourselves. One of the obstacles to doing this is our growing sense of tribalism—whether it’s a political, socio-economic, or even theological tribe.