Sabbatical Rest

For 18 years I have worked full-time, even throughout most of the major health battles in my twenties. However, in 2001, I took 6 months off to have several lung surgeries and time for recovery. I cannot think of another time in my life when I felt so close to God and every experience felt so poignant.  During that time, 9/11 happened and it was awful and surreal, yet He led me to see the beauty in life and I will never forget this period of time!  Seven years later in 2008, I decided to take most of the year off from working full-time due to feeling exhausted.  Throughout this year, I worked very part-time and kept my newborn niece almost every day.  I spent a lot of time in prayer and surrounded by nature.  I enjoyed every moment with my niece and was fully mindful and present during my time with her.  It was a very refreshing break and God's presence was with me every day.  Again, beginning this month (June 2015), I am taking some time off from work.  This time it is my plan to take about 7 months off and to just enjoy God, art, family and everyday moments.  Over the last year or so, I have saved my money for the specific purpose of having this break.  Some people do not think this break is a good idea, others think it is wonderful.  But, what matters to me is what God thinks and I have felt Him leading me to take this break for some time now.  Amazingly, in the past few months God has also led me to understand His heart regarding rest and why this break is important for me. 


First of all, work is very important to God, to society, and to life because it is part of our destiny to display His glory through our participation with Him in work by using our God-given gifts and talents.  Work is part of God's plan for us, however, so is rest.  And in this blog post, I want to write about why rest is important too and I would like to introduce a biblical concept called "the Shmita."


The word "Sabbath" means a "holy day of rest" such as when God rested on the seventh day of Creation as described in the book of Genesis. One of the ten commandments includes keeping the Sabbath "holy" by resting.  So, not only is rest important to God, but He considers it part of a holy lifestyle. 


In the Bible and throughout ancient Jewish culture, the word "Sabbatical" was often used to describe an extended period of rest (beyond just one day a week.)  According to Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, "Shmita" means "the release, to let fall, or the collapse" which is a year of rest every seventh year.


In the past, Jewish culture has been centered around six years of activity and then one year of rest. This Sabbatical year of Shmita was to be a year of resting from labor, no sowing or reaping, and allowing the land to be undisturbed.  Most of the biblical references to Shmita are in relation to agriculture and the Jewish people were to live off of the fruits of their labor from the previous six years.   Then, on the last day of Shmita, at the end of the seventh year, any remaining credit and debt would be wiped away for the purposes of a blessing or a curse, depending on whether the people followed His principles of Shmita.


When I took time off in 2001 and 2008, I had no concept of the Shmita and I took this time off out of a time of "collapse" in my own personal life.  It was either due to illness or emotional exhaustion and it was most definitely a crisis period for me, yet God also blessed me during this time.  This year, however, my time off has been prompted by Holy Spirit rather than crisis.  I believe that He will have His way in me one way or another.  His purposes of rest for me and for you are for our good and for our blessing.  It is for the renewing of our mind through His word, the infusion of His peace in our souls to the uttermost and a time to be in Him instead of in the many distractions in this world.  It is a time of trust, humility and getting rid of any greed in gaining wealth.  I cannot keep worldly wealth forever but through rest and Sabbatical, I will instead gain priceless treasures of experience with loved ones and with Love himself that will last for eternity.