The Next 40 Days

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, when people give up things in order to better understand the sacrifice Christ made.  These past few days I have been trying to identify what it is that I should be giving up.  Moving through my list of options, I found myself drawn to what I should add to my life, not what I should take away.  Sharing my thoughts with a friend, we somehow seemed to agree that Lent isn't just about giving up, it's about reflection, prayer, and sacrifice. As the day progressed I was sent two reflections on Lent and the thought of adding something. 

Driving home this evening in the rush of traffic, trying to get home early enough to grab something to eat before my on-line class, it hit me - I need to add sabbath. 

Sabbath - the anchor of my sabatical learning and one of my greatest needs.  It is amazing that God began tapping on my shoulder over the past week, in what I beleive was preparation for Lent.  The following quote from one of my devotions last week has stayed with me, reminding me that I need to buffer my schedule.

"Listen to why this is so important:  when you're overloaded by activity, you can only think of yourself.  You're in survival mode, just trying to make it through another day."

-Rick Warren

Reflecting on the past month, life seems to be moving along at an 80 mile-an-hour speed.  Family, work, and school have accelerated in a way that I have had difficulty stepping away from the rush.  I don't believe life is any "fuller" -  I just allowed myself to become engulfed in the busyness and forgot to buffer my schedule to allow for sabbath.

So on this Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, I add sabbath. I add reflection, prayer, and sacrifice of time to remember all He has given and the price He paid.

As part of my sabbath reflection I am going to re-read an amazing book I used during my sabbatical - Sabbath:  Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives, by Wayne Muller. I close with a few inspiring and reflective quotes as a reminder of what it means to observe Sabbath.

"Sabbath is a way of being in time where we remember who we are, remember what we know, and taste the gifts of spirit and eternity."

"In a complex and unstable world, if we do not rest, if we do not surrender into some kind of Sabbath, how can we find our way, how can we hear the voices that tell us the right thing to do?"

"Sabbath is more than the absence of work; it is not just a day off, when we carch up on television or errands.  It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true.  It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us."

"You are not made for the Sabbath; the Sabbath is made for you." - Mark 2:27