Sabbatical Day 1
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
- a time to be born and a time to die;
- a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;,
- a time to kill and a time to heal;
- a time to break down and a time to build up;
- a time to weep and a time to laugh;
- a time to mourn and a time to dance;
- a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
- a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
- a time to seek and a time to lose;
- a time to keep and a time to throw away;
- a time to tear and a time to sew;
- a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
- a time to love and a time to hate;
- a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Like most days in recent months, I got up this morning and went to the gym to huff and puff on a treadmill for a half hour. I came home, made coffee and got ready to start my day. Typically, Lori and I leave the house around the same time.
Today, Lori left for the office and I stayed home.
It’s day #1 of my sabbatical.
The dog walked into the kitchen, saw me and gave me a “oh…you’re still here?” kind of look.
Yes, I am.
I’ve never taken a sabbatical before. My previous congregation did not have a sabbatical policy. So this is all kind of new to me.
And I’m realizing that it is going to take a little time for me to ‘shift gears’ and to discover exactly what this gift of time is going to be for me.
I am hoping for a chance to take a breath. I’m hoping to learn some things. I want to read and write. And I want to learn how to play my mandolin. And I am hoping to enter into a different kind of time…a slower pace. I want to be less “chronos” and more “kairos.” I am hoping to be less linear, less clock driven and more in-tune with God’s time.
So today, I kind of meandered throughout my day. I did some reading. I ran to Lowe’s and spent some money. I mowed. I worked on some weeds (how can weeds be that big already? Don’t they know it’s not even June?) I dug some dirt and I planted some grass seed. I did some planning for the travel I’m doing later during the sabbatical, and I had time to think.
This sabbatical will be a different kind of time. A time of thinking, and reflecting. Jesus modeled this when he would take time to step away from the crowds, and to go pray.
I am only a day in. And I’m already grateful for this kind of time.
Test Driving Theology 