[from An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor]
"In the eyes of the world, there is no payoff for sitting on the porch.... If you want to succeed in whatever your 'field' of endeavor, you must spray/plow/plant. You must never turn your back. Each year's harvest must be bigger than the last. That is what the earth and her people are for, right? Wrong god. In the eyes of the true God, the porch is imperative, not every now and then but on a regular basis.... Sabbath is the true God's gift to those who wish to rest and to be free."
Do you find yourself longing for this freedom, this rest? I do. Last Saturday my family watched my son's soccer game and came home, planning to go to a shopping center later in the day. My husband, son and father went to our family room and started watching some TV. I went to our bedroom and just sat on the bed with my eyes closed. I had a book and notebook with me to do something, but I was craving rest. So, I took a nap. It was glorious.... Until I started thinking about what I didn't get done.
I think at the core of my struggle for balance and to better understand this idea of Sabbath is my own expectations. How do I set realistic expectations for productivity that keep room for rest and for God?
I don't know Jaymie, but when you figure this out, let me know!
ReplyDeleteI strongly feel that God would be pleased if you, as a mother, follows her own natural insticts to be a good wife & mother, raising her children in a way that puts them first and prepares them for the challenges of adult life when they get older. By definition, this means giving yourself the proper amount of rest so that you can perform this task as best as humanly possible. I've never thought about sabbath in this manner...you actually honor God by honoring yourself by giving yourself what your body needs anyway, rest. As for not finishing everything on your list, well, if you ever meet anyone who gets to everything on their "list" then I'd like to meet them to learn their secret...
ReplyDelete