One of my favorite of the Ten Commandments is Number Four: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. It is such a good news commandment--God wants us to rest. It is so important to him that he calls it a holy obligation. Isn't that funny? God has to label a rest day as holy to get us to do it. But some of us have trouble resting, even when God commands it.
Probably this is because we believe the world--and our place in it--depends on us working. God gave us a news flash in Commandment #4: Even he rested!
So for the past two weeks I have been resting. The focus of the commandment is to cease. Cease doing those things you normally do that make you feel so important. Trust that God has your best interests in mind and he will provide for you. Stop the frenetic grind of your work-life. Cease.
For me ceasing largely means to let my mind stop the churn. Leading a church like Lakeside is a mentally and spiritually stressful role. The responsibility feels great. So for vacation I ceased thinking about Lakeside from a leadership perspective. (I did worship with the Lakeside family at the 4:30 gathering when I was in town the first weekend of vacation.) I rested...a lot.
One evening, with about four days of vacation left, Donna and I were at dinner and the subject of the church came up. I made one comment, then Donna said, "Let's don't talk about that." That was not simply her preference at the moment; it was expressing her desire for me to rest. She gets it.
And that is another part of this vacation story. Though we spent a couple days with our son in port in San Diego, and though we spent some time with some good friends in Yosemite, for most of the time, it was just Donna and me. We actually are celebrating our 30th anniversary today. It has been delightful. The blessing of being faithful to one spouse over the long haul is great. Not only do we love each other, but we enjoy each other. We know it's OK to be quiet sometimes. It's OK to say, "Let's not talk about that right now." It's a gift to be able to enjoy this long-term loving relationship.
Bottom line: I wanted you to know I've been resting. And I'm looking forward to getting back in the game. I'll be at Lakeside this weekend, and I can't wait.
Grace.
So glad you had a great vacation and happy anniversary!!!
Blessings to you and Donna
Posted by: Kirk | June 16, 2009 at 01:53 PM