When we hear the word "downtime" some of us may jump immediately to the negative. Downtime with regard to technology is considered a "failure" or an "outage," something that requires immediate attention. We expect that our technology, whether it be computers, phones, televisions, cars, whatever - we expect that it will work anytime, anywhere.
Walmart and many grocery stores are open 24 hours per day.
Black Friday sales are beginning on Thanksgiving, earlier and earlier.
It's estimated that Americans are taking only 77 percent of their paid vacation time because of the pressures in business to not miss a day of work.
Do we even know how to take a day off anymore?
The serious impact of busy lives
As my junior year of high school was finishing up, my school released the class rankings of each student in my class. The top two women and top two men were selected to help with the graduation ceremony of the senior class, a rather impressive honor. I was shocked to find out that in fact, I was number two. I'd always known I was an accelerated learner, but I was unaware that I was in fact succeeding so greatly.
I never considered myself competitive, but with college applications and senior year ever looming, I suddenly realized the urgency of keeping that #2 status. The others ranked in the top 10 of our class began signing up for as many AP classes as possible, getting special permission to skip lunch and cram their schedule. I signed up for 5 AP classes, and forewent lunch in my schedule so that I could remain in accelerated Symphony band. I also configured my afternoon schedule to take advanced speech credits at the University of Pittsburgh, competed in the state and national levels in debate and speech, served on a national board for Latin, contributed hundreds of volunteer hours for my senior project, played in a quartet and orchestra outside of school, attended youth group each week, played softball....the list continues. I needed to be unique to get into that perfect university, and I needed to stand out to get that full scholarship.
As I was walking one morning from homeroom to AP Biology, I began to crumble. I was working until all hours of the night in AP Biology, and I was barely managing to pass, let alone do well. And I hated it. I hated that I was the worst in the class; I hated that I had no idea what equations to use to figure out problems; I hated that biology was more than how the pieces of the body functioned and worked together. I hated that it took up a double block period in the first two hours of my day. I couldn't handle it; I began to lose my breath, and my heart began to pound. I felt dizzy and nauseated. I found myself walking without really deciding to the nurse's station. There I had a full panic attack, complete with hysterical crying, irregular breathing, and light-headedness. The counselor came in and helped me drop Biology without penalty, and talked me back into confidence and sanity.
At the tender age of 17, I realized the extreme consequences that come when we give up on rest. I learned that I am not a computer that can do everything and produce pristine results while producing no downtime. I cannot run on empty; I cannot coast through life on fumes. Continually, I have to repeat to myself that I cannot be everywhere all the time doing all the things.
Disappointment, anxiety, and self-confidence
I think a lot of times, we know deep down that we can't do it all, we can't be all things to all people. That however, is not a word of comfort for us. We feel like we are letting ourselves and others down when we can't get it all accomplished, when we've bitten off more than we can chew. We sacrifice sleep, meals, quality of work, time with children - we make sacrifices so that we can try to satiate our hungry need to be busy, to do everything, to be in control.
Actually, though, we weren't created that way.
At the end of the creation of the universe, God rested:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 2.1-3
Interestingly, it doesn't say, "God rested because God was tired;" nor does it say, "God worked and worked until God collapsed from exhaustion;" nor does it say, "God worked a half-day on Friday." No, it simply says that God rested after God worked hard. God blessed the day of rest and hallowed it; it is a day in which God cherished the creation God had made and appreciated it, rather than continued driving forward.
Our call to rest is similar. We are called to rest not when we get tired or when we've been hospitalized for exhaustion or after all of our work is completely complete; we are called to rest in a regular, disciplined fashion in order to cherish the work we have done and the Creator who sustains our lives throughout the week.
This past week, we had an unstructured Youth Group time: board games, lip sync battles, signing up for future events. Students engaged in raucous board games, tossed a football around, worked on their volleyball serves, and chatted with one another. The mood felt relaxed and comfortable. While some people might see this as wasted time, I feel it is a necessary part of our pattern as followers of Christ. We work hard: we learn about God, we live out our faith, we invite others to know Christ, we serve the needs of the world. It seems counter-intuitive for us to rest, enjoy the creation around us, and enjoy our Creator.
For the past 10 years of my life, I have regularly practiced a Sabbath day, usually on Fridays but moveable according to work schedule. I confess that this has not always been as it sounds. I often try to accomplish a lot of menial tasks around my home on these days: laundry, cleaning, meal preparation, grocery shopping. When I trained for a half-marathon, my Sabbath was devoted to long runs and stretches. Overall, however, I have made it my practice to rest my brain from the striving part of my faith. I had the great joy of visiting a synagogue a few years ago for Shabbat service, and I found it warm and refreshing to be greeted, "Shabbat Shalom." This in fact means, "Sabbath of peace." As you greet one another with Shabbat Shalom, I personally read it as a momentary prayer for the peace and wholeness of the other person, a peace they can only find through rest. We do this when we pass the peace of Christ in our congregation, wishing one another a peace that surpasses understanding. In Sabbath, I seek to rest my mind and my will so as to be open to the will of God. In Sabbath, I submit to the will of Jesus Christ as Lord of the earth and of my life.
Sabbath can look different for each individual. I have clergy friends who go on sabbath retreats for multiple days of rest from the world. I have friends who set aside a sabbath hour each evening, rather than a full day. I have friends who spend the time reading and studying scripture, who spend the time knitting or doing mundane activities to calm their ever-moving brain, who exercise or do yoga, and who cut themselves out from technology. Sabbath is a spiritual discipline that requires trying new things and allowing some of them to be right for you and others to not be right. It is assessing your need for inner peace and assessing your personality to ascertain how you might achieve it.
So today, I challenge you to consider what Sabbath might mean in your life.
Is worship on Sunday mornings a part of your Sabbath? If so - how are you seeking rest the other parts of that day? Is it even possible?
What helps to calm your mind from the world, to give you rest from your work? How can you do that with regularity?
Do you feel guilty for resting too long? How can you combat that feeling of guilt?
Will you Sabbath alone or with others? What gives you energy and fills you with peace?
With that, I wish you, "Shabbat Shalom" - may you empty yourself enough that you may be filled with the peace that only Jesus Christ can bring.
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