by Joanie Butman
With summer upon us, an impending wedding and an ailing parent, I’m on overload. For those of a certain age, I just hit TILT on the pinball game of life. For the uninitiated, in pinball there’s a tilt mechanism which detects when the machine is being lifted, tilted or shaken beyond an acceptable level. When the mechanism is triggered, the machine ‘tilts’, ending play. The game is automatically over. More modern games provide a number of warnings before tilting. If there is such a thing, I’ve been getting my fair share of tilt warnings recently. In order to prevent that mishap, I’m taking a sabbatical from posting. I need a break from writing about God so I can just enjoy experiencing Him – an extended Sabbath of sorts. Father’s Day seems like a perfect time to begin since it’s more quiet time with my Spiritual Father that I desire.
I need to force myself to unplug from devices and daily responsibilities so in stillness I can experience a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit washing over me, quieting my mind and soul. Think of it as creating a Divine bubble for two. A time for calm and silence, making room for God’s presence amid the plethora of worldly noise and obligations. If I hadn’t committed to a daily appointment with God years ago, I never would have developed the relationship I enjoy today. However, I’ve been finding it hard recently to quiet myself long enough to “hear” His still small voice and I don’t want to miss anything.
The creation story in Genesis finishes with “on the seventh day he rested.” God’s own Father’s Day of sorts, but on a weekly basis. In reality God is working 24/7 yet He still instituted a Sabbath. Why? As with all of His decrees, it’s for our benefit of course. He’s always working on our behalf, and the creation of the Sabbath is no exception. Jesus answers my question Himself in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Left to our own devices, God knew we wouldn’t take the necessary time to rest and renew physically and spiritually.
Ideally, the goal is to walk with God always, regardless of what I’m doing. There are many that have achieved this level of spiritual maturity, but for me more often the obligations, challenges and distractions of life tend to take over with a sense of relentless urgency, pushing spirituality to the back burner. Shooting off ‘arrow prayers’* is fine and effective, but a deep, meaningful relationship with the Divine can only be developed by spending uninterrupted time getting to know Him. Being still is a form of worship few value in our nanosecond society. Yet, it’s the most effective antidote to the anxiety epidemic sweeping our nation and my soul. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
While God created the Sabbath, the concept is used by the secular as well. Academia provides sabbaticals, which are defined as a “period of time during which someone does not work at his or her regular job and and focuses on personal enrichment and professional development.” I can’t think of a more important personal enrichment and development than spending time with God. The best definition I’ve heard for the Sabbath is the soul-tending rest that renews your spirit and allows your connection to God and to others to be truly life-giving.
My family will honor my husband on Father’s Day as is fitting. It will also mark the beginning of months of Father’s Days where I can rest and relax, comfortable in His everlasting arms. A place where I can’t be shaken so aggressively I ‘tilt.’ There’s no doubt the shaking will come, as it does for everyone, which is even more reason to choose to create Divine bubbles where we can find rest and renewal in the midst of chaos. Christ invites us all into His bubble. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It’s our choice whether or not to accept His gracious invitation.
Choose Wisely!
*A brief, spontaneous, urgent, specific prayer; a prayer made without interrupting what one is presently doing; a prayer consisting of just a few heartfelt words such as “Help, God!” (http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/arrow-prayer-flash-prayer-dart-prayer/)