PROMPTS & PRACTICES | SLOW DOWN/SABBATH

When we slow down or pause, we see and hear things we have not seen or heard before. We miss so much when we zip through life, as has been the case with me for many years. I was drawn to speed and perhaps even addicted to it. The urgency of the task drove me hard and I drove others hard. It is an illusion of thinking that God could not wait and that I had to sacrifice myself to meet God’s needs and demands.

Out of desperation, I learned to take Sabbath seriously. I had been running on fumes for a long time and realized that the pace of my life could not last. I could not last. Ultimately, my lack of slowing down came down to my understanding of who God is or is not.

Now, I cannot ever go back to the life of urgency or speed. I see and hear God more clearly in this slow-down mode. Intimacy of God is displayed in the seemingly small, mundane, and everyday life context. The great irony is that the crazy incomprehensible bigness of God is encapsulated in small everyday wonders of life. God is so big that God comes to us so small, it seems.

I am convinced that being human means to take Sabbath seriously. To be fully human is to observe Sabbath. It is simply part of God’s design for all humanity. Without it, we falter, burn out, and break down. In the end, it is about discovering God, ourselves, and why God created us.

Practices

Block out 2 hours of solitude per week (and eventually extend it to 4 hours) doing no work/ministry and investing in your soul care. Discover what works for you in terms of “pray and play.”
Focus on a small living thing (animal, insect, a plant, a flower, a leaf of a tree, a blade of grass, etc) and spend 3 to 5 minutes in observation. Notice what you see.
Go on a personal retreat for a day or an overnight to nourish your soul and body. Sleep, relax, eat delicious food, read, journal, walk, watch a good movie, dip your feet in the water, walk on the sand, go to an art museum, etc. while staying away from work/ministry. You get the idea.
Recite Psalm 46:10 this way. Say the full verse, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Then pause a few seconds. Then say, “Be still, and know that I am.” Pause. Say, “Be still, and know.” Pause. Say, “Be still.” Pause. Say, “Be.” End with another pause.