Bill, an Anglican friend of mine, recently returned from a self-described three-month “sabbatical.” The board of directors of the ministry he leads had proposed it to the father of four who had been hustling to serve others for over three decades — and he accepted. While it wasn’t a “shmita” or full sabbatical year — prescribed in Leviticus 25:4 for the land to rest and lie fallow every seven years — three months sounded big.
When his “See ya … I won’t be emailing or texting for several months” message came out this spring, I first felt a wave of envy. But then I thought, “Well, he earned it.” (That’s a theological error, but more on that later).
Soon after his return, he convened a video chat with friends and supporters to share what he learned (available at inthecoracle.org). I logged in to listen and was struck first by another wave of envy as he shared photos of his visits to monasteries, national parks, and museums and churches throughout Italy. But then three insights — which he has agreed to let me share — from his 90-day break began to unfold.
1 — Rest and give God more room to work in your life. Bill told a story of being off the grid for a week at a Cistercian monastery. That same week, the ministry he leads enjoyed two unexpected breakthroughs. These were windfalls that Bill had not controlled, orchestrated or initiated. It didn’t make sense. It didn’t fit with the usual calculus of “effort = outcome.”
We are slow to learn this but learn we must. How often have I cut short my prayer time, not availed myself during the week of a daily Mass or Eucharistic adoration, all in my drive to get more accomplished. Bill’s Cistercian moment reads like a parable. God is unpredictable. His Spirit blows where it wills. And he may choose our moments of worship and rest to move mountains for us.
2 — Our world of endless opportunity and busyness is objectively crazy. Bill described the abrupt “re-entry” into the atmosphere of Northern Virginia. After extended periods of silence and rest in the peace of God, he was enveloped by noise. And endless opportunities to do this or that. Bill is a go-getter. He hustles. And he quickly felt the old tug toward the dopamine highs of meetings, deals and results.
Our “normal” is anything but normal. And it takes the biblical reality of the sabbatical — an immersive experience available to us every Sabbath, 52 times a year — to drive this home. Whether we are teens padding out resumes with more extracurriculars in the leadup to applying to elite universities or parents striving to work harder for the next promotion, we all know how addictive and alluring our anti-sabbath Culture of Busy can be.
3 — Protect your daily time with the Lord. During his recap, Bill said, “I’ve done decades of breakfast meetings and getting to the office early. I’m done with that.” Now, he’s staying true to a daily liturgical rhythm that begins with prayer, and then moves to exercise and quality time with his family. The peace of God — his “new normal” after the sabbatical — now requires that he maintain firm and healthy boundaries.
As if the Third Commandment, and the dozens of Old Testament laws that surround it like a thick hedge isn’t obvious enough, Jesus in his earthly life showed us over and over that he needed to withdraw. “And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed” (Mk 1:35). The Son of God needed solitude, silence and prayer. Made in the image of God, we do too.
I’ve got news. Sabbatical is a quaint word that most of us will never even hear spoken aloud, but you have won something even more astonishing than Bill’s “take three months to rest” odyssey. What’s more, you don’t need to wait 30 years for it, like Bill.
Your next sabbatical is coming up this Sunday. Take it. And then you get 51 more — an entire 1.73 months or 14 percent of the coming year. And in between Sundays, protect your daily mini-sabbaticals of prayer. Push back on the unhealthy anti-sabbatical ecosystem we inhabit. Protect your Sabbath. Love it. You didn’t earn it. It’s a gift from God, who loves you.
Soren and his wife, Ever, are cofounders of trinityhousecommunity.org.
