What Is a Sabbatical?
This past summer, my husband was granted a sabbatical. Sabbatical is an extended period (mostly for clergy) for rest, relaxation, and re-direction as the minister discovers a new vision for his congregation. Because I'm a pastor's wife, the sabbatical was something I could participate in as well. When we got to the first week of our time off, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had little expectation for what would happen, and I just assumed it was an extended period of "doing nothing." Although that is part of the equation, the sabbatical opened my eyes to its true purpose. Here are a few things I learned from being on sabbatical with my husband:
Rest Comes in Many Forms
First, I learned that rest takes many forms.
Although there were days when we spent time sleeping in, rest is not just sleep. My body was good physically with rest as I kept a strict sleep schedule. Little did I know I needed rest emotionally and mentally. Being away from my local church body for a long time opened my eyes to the necessity of a church family. My husband and I have both been struck with the reality that we would feel so alone without our church family. With family being hours away, our church family has been the rock we have needed during difficult times. Being away from them also helped us see that we needed some new rhythms to give sacrificially to the church body while keeping boundaries for a healthy marriage.
Sometimes I practiced creative rest, which meant crafts like creating photo albums for my kids. As I reflected on how I spent the time off, the one thing I wish I had made more time for was creativity. I love to do small crafts like latch hook kits or painting. I was not able to do that as much as I would have liked. This helped me realize that I need to make room in my weekly schedule to do this. Even if I'm creating something for no other reason than just to create, it helped me reduce the stress of writing deadlines or having no particular purpose for the creation. It allowed me to understand Genesis 2, where Adam contributed to creation by naming animals or tending the garden.
Second, I learned that in this busy world, people reject rest.
We sought to drive more slowly and spend more time in the morning with nature, but we found ourselves being pressured to rush. Whether it was the person honking behind us on the highway, or people needing to find a seat at the same park bench as us, we found ourselves rushing. We constantly had to remind ourselves that we had nowhere to be and that we could spend all day just sitting and reflecting if we wanted to. A sabbatical helped us realize that we didn't have to be somewhere all the time. We could fritter a morning away, praying or reflecting rather than having to be at a certain place at a specific time or having work deadlines by the end of the week. Our vacation was particularly helpful in that we could get away for a couple of weeks without worrying about bills, chores, or other responsibilities but rather just see the sights and enjoy some beautiful parts of the United States.
Third, I learned that even in restful times, emergencies pop up.
The first month, our daughter's car broke down, our dog needed eye surgery, and there were house projects that had been put off that needed to happen. When we felt this tension of having to do home repairs and take care of responsibilities instead of just doing nothing, we had to learn that rest is something we work from, not something we work towards. Although many people work and look forward to the weekend, our sabbatical taught us that every day could be the weekend if we wanted. The sabbatical was a gift to us in the sense that as we were able to focus on areas of our lives—health, finances, marriage, and personal matters without distraction, we did find as the days counted down, we had to learn new ways of conducting our workweeks in the coming months so that we practiced a mini-sabbatical each day.
I remember in the early days when our children were little, and we went on vacation; we both desperately needed a vacation, but it wouldn't feel like one because we'd be so busy filling our day with activities to keep the kids entertained. Consequently, we have to choose to really rest. God sustained us through those difficult times, but it's nice to have moments to spend our time with one another rather than having to fill it with activities. Boredom became a natural part of our lives as we simply sat, reflected, and did nothing.
As we enjoyed our time together, I sensed this urgency to want to continue a mini-sabbatical all year long. For many, a sabbatical begins and ends at a certain time. But as we wrestled with how to re-work our time, we realized a sabbatical could be practiced all year long. Here are some ways to practice it.
1. I ease into my mornings rather than sprint through them.
As a morning person, I find that throughout the work week, I struggle to maximize every minute of my time. When the kids were little, I found myself rushing to get most of my work done before the kids came home from school. But becoming an empty nester presented us with a new norm as our first child transitioned into adulthood. By easing into my mornings, I didn't have to long for a sabbatical or a break. Instead, I could take a break every single morning by creating new rhythms that maximized the work week. For example, I maximized my time on Mondays and Tuesdays instead of spending all week writing articles or material for books. I found I'm freshest at the beginning of the week when I've had the weekend to relax. I push myself to create content on Monday and Tuesday even if I don't start my day early; Wednesday and Thursday became enjoyable because I could have the time to mentally reset and recharge myself. Feeling hurried was a common theme throughout this sabbatical, and we both learned how not to rush. By learning not to rush, I could learn to practice a mini-sabbatical because I'd have extra time to do things that I didn't feel I could do.
2. I took the example of Jesus.
Jesus prioritized his time by starting his morning praying to his Father. He knew that was how he would make it through his ministry. Without connection with the Father, he would be longing for connection and intimacy that he couldn't get anywhere else. By learning to prioritize his time and spend time with his Father, his time was never wasted. In the same way, when I spent the first minutes of my mornings reflecting, reading my Bible, and praying, I learned that time in connection with the Father was imperative for me to get through my day. I prayed more often throughout the day when I faced a problem, which helped me feel more rested. When I'm able to present my requests to God, I am more able to rest in the Father's love and trust that he will take care of everything in his time.
3. We had to learn how to spend time more wisely.
My husband would leave early in the morning and come home late afternoon. While this is a normal time frame for most people, we learned that rhythm didn't work. To practice a mini-sabbatical throughout the year, my husband would have to come home earlier to clean the house, make weekly meals, and do other house-related chores. By ending both of our days at five with everything done, including meal prep, exercise, and chores, we found that a sabbatical could still be achieved. This allowed me to be content that he could get tasks done, and he felt he could finally rest at the end of the day. Because part of our weekend is always given to the church, we only get one day a week to really rest. Depending on the day, we still achieve that as our Sabbath, but we wanted to have more time. By ending the day earlier, we could achieve more throughout the day; it was just different types of work.
Everyone can use a sabbatical in their lives, especially those who have worked hard for many years. Although it's not possible for everyone, by practicing the strategies stated above, everyone can practice a mini-sabbatical all year long.
Michelle S. Lazurek is a multi-genre award-winning author, speaker, pastor's wife, and mother. She is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services and a certified writing coach. Her new children’s book Hall of Faith encourages kids to understand God can be trusted. When not working, she enjoys sipping a Starbucks latte, collecting 80s memorabilia, and spending time with her family and her crazy dog. For more info, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.