A year ago this week marks the start of my 6-month long Sabbatical from my pastoral role at church. I was given the opportunity to take the Sabbatical to rest, travel, study, be a stay-at-home dad and become less cynical. The first three were given by the Elder Board at my church, the other two by me. I am thankful to have been able to do all five of these things during those 6-months and although it is impossible to be a stay-at-home dad and pastor full-time I do believe I developed healthier rhythms throughout this time.
Lots of people asked me what I learned over the 6-month period and I am not sure what people were expecting me to say. I personally imagined an incredible awakening to something I had never seen before. Maybe it would be the development or implementation of something which could affect many lives. Either way I felt as though people were expecting me to come back with some earth shattering discovery, but the truth is I learned what I went away to do.
I learned to rest.
I travelled.
I studied.
I was a stay-at-home dad.
I became less cynical.
Above all of these things there was something else I learned.
As the summer was winding down and the fall was beginning to emerge it was then I took my Sabbatical and had less noise surrounding me. It was brilliant. It was hard. No one really needed me. I didn't need to get anything done. No deadlines. No meetings. No emails. No voicemails. It definitely took some time to get used to. I stepped into a space I had never been and had to cultivate new routines and patterns. What I noticed though is after the noise around started to disappear I was noticing one important thing all around me: The Natural Rhythm of Creation.
We as people run at a torrid pace. Seriously. If we compare ourselves to the rest of Creation there is a stark difference in how we operate. We wake up whenever we want, we go to bed whenever we want, we abuse things all around us for our gain, and the worst part is we don't usually care. As the noise surrounding me started to disappear I had the capacity to look and see people around me. Always rushing, always hurrying, hardly ever enjoying. I made the conclusion, for myself - I was going against the very grain of the Natural Rhythm of Creation.
The sun rises at different times all throughout the year and it sets at different times as well. As the earth rotates around the sun we get longer days and shorter days. September went into October and the days started to get shorter, but it seemed as if no one around me cared. Everyone went as if nothing had happened. People would just complain it was getting colder and the days were getting shorter as if it is such a bad thing. Instead of trying to step into the rhythm of creation I noticed people all around me ignore it. They had things to do. They couldn't slow down. Some even chose to increase their busyness. As the rest of Creation started to prepare for hibernation and rest the people I saw just lived as if nothing was changing, well they did put on a jacket.
The fall season is a time of dying, per say. It is a time where we marvel at the beauty of so many colourful leaves here in Canada. These leaves turn colour because they are dying. They die in order for life to grow in the Spring. Creation starts to die, prepare, and hibernate in the fall. The speed of animals starts to slow down, the frequency of animals we see gets fewer: less birds, less raccoons, the squirrels.
As winter comes and the days are short it seems as though life has disappeared from what we see. The colour from the fall has no disappeared and white snow hits the ground covering everything which once bore a colour.
The natural rhythm fall told me was to slow down.
The natural rhythm winter told me was to nestle in, stay warm, and enjoy my wife and child around me.
It seems so natural does it? If we notice the days of the year move in a way which begs for us to join in. The sun rises, we wake. The sun sets, we rest. The days get warmer we spend it outside. The days get colder we spend it indoors.
The thing which struck me more than anything over my 6-month Sabbatical is how people, literally, run against the rhythm and fabric of Creation. We ignore, for the most part, this natural rhythm. It's a shame because there is so much goodness found in this rhythm.
As September has come again this year I feel more prepared for the fall and winter. I am not trying to get through it in order to get to spring and summer. I am prepared to enjoy each and every moment as I look into creation, see how it operates, and step into this rhythm knowing my Creator has designed it to operate is such a way.
It's amazing isn't it? I know I complain often of not being able to hear, feel, experience God in my life and more often than not refuse to step into the very rhythm of Creation. Maybe if I step into this rhythm I will be able to see, hear, and experience God more.
Well it's the time. 6:30am. Clicking publish.
Lots of people asked me what I learned over the 6-month period and I am not sure what people were expecting me to say. I personally imagined an incredible awakening to something I had never seen before. Maybe it would be the development or implementation of something which could affect many lives. Either way I felt as though people were expecting me to come back with some earth shattering discovery, but the truth is I learned what I went away to do.
I learned to rest.
I travelled.
I studied.
I was a stay-at-home dad.
I became less cynical.
Above all of these things there was something else I learned.
As the summer was winding down and the fall was beginning to emerge it was then I took my Sabbatical and had less noise surrounding me. It was brilliant. It was hard. No one really needed me. I didn't need to get anything done. No deadlines. No meetings. No emails. No voicemails. It definitely took some time to get used to. I stepped into a space I had never been and had to cultivate new routines and patterns. What I noticed though is after the noise around started to disappear I was noticing one important thing all around me: The Natural Rhythm of Creation.
We as people run at a torrid pace. Seriously. If we compare ourselves to the rest of Creation there is a stark difference in how we operate. We wake up whenever we want, we go to bed whenever we want, we abuse things all around us for our gain, and the worst part is we don't usually care. As the noise surrounding me started to disappear I had the capacity to look and see people around me. Always rushing, always hurrying, hardly ever enjoying. I made the conclusion, for myself - I was going against the very grain of the Natural Rhythm of Creation.
The sun rises at different times all throughout the year and it sets at different times as well. As the earth rotates around the sun we get longer days and shorter days. September went into October and the days started to get shorter, but it seemed as if no one around me cared. Everyone went as if nothing had happened. People would just complain it was getting colder and the days were getting shorter as if it is such a bad thing. Instead of trying to step into the rhythm of creation I noticed people all around me ignore it. They had things to do. They couldn't slow down. Some even chose to increase their busyness. As the rest of Creation started to prepare for hibernation and rest the people I saw just lived as if nothing was changing, well they did put on a jacket.
The fall season is a time of dying, per say. It is a time where we marvel at the beauty of so many colourful leaves here in Canada. These leaves turn colour because they are dying. They die in order for life to grow in the Spring. Creation starts to die, prepare, and hibernate in the fall. The speed of animals starts to slow down, the frequency of animals we see gets fewer: less birds, less raccoons, the squirrels.
As winter comes and the days are short it seems as though life has disappeared from what we see. The colour from the fall has no disappeared and white snow hits the ground covering everything which once bore a colour.
The natural rhythm fall told me was to slow down.
The natural rhythm winter told me was to nestle in, stay warm, and enjoy my wife and child around me.
It seems so natural does it? If we notice the days of the year move in a way which begs for us to join in. The sun rises, we wake. The sun sets, we rest. The days get warmer we spend it outside. The days get colder we spend it indoors.
The thing which struck me more than anything over my 6-month Sabbatical is how people, literally, run against the rhythm and fabric of Creation. We ignore, for the most part, this natural rhythm. It's a shame because there is so much goodness found in this rhythm.
As September has come again this year I feel more prepared for the fall and winter. I am not trying to get through it in order to get to spring and summer. I am prepared to enjoy each and every moment as I look into creation, see how it operates, and step into this rhythm knowing my Creator has designed it to operate is such a way.
It's amazing isn't it? I know I complain often of not being able to hear, feel, experience God in my life and more often than not refuse to step into the very rhythm of Creation. Maybe if I step into this rhythm I will be able to see, hear, and experience God more.
Well it's the time. 6:30am. Clicking publish.
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