The Pause that Refreshes

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. —Exodus 23:12

I recently had a conversation with a pastor who just returned from what he called a “sabbatical.”  I asked him what the difference was in a sabbatical and a vacation.  He said it was a matter of “focus.” He explained a vacation is a time for fun and relaxation with your family like a trip to Disneyland or an ocean cruise.  A sabbatical is an extended period of time to come apart from strain of ministerial responsibilities to get alone with God to refresh his spiritual batteries and focus on getting new directions from the Lord through the Word and prayer.  A vacation is a time for physical relaxation.  A sabbatical is more about gaining spiritual refreshment.

Both a family vacation and a spiritual sabbatical are important for anyone in full-time ministry.

I recently read about the El Bulli restaurant near Barcelona. It is so popular that customers must have reservations six months in advance! The noted Spanish chef Ferran Adrià decided to close the doors of his award-winning restaurant for two years so he and his staff could have time to think, plan, and innovate.  Adrià told Hemispheres Magazine, “If we are winning all the prizes, why change?  Working 15 hours a day leaves us very little time to create.”  In the midst of great success, they took time out for what is most important to them.

Not many of us can take a full two years off just to think and plan.  But we can schedule some personal time to meditate, reflect, and seek the Lord through prayer and reading the Scriptures.

The practical application of the “Sabbath” is not complicated.  We simply select a day of the week to pause from our work—Any day will do (cf.  Rom. 14:5-6).  Monday is my “day-off” or my personal “Sabbath.”

Take some time for “the pause that refreshes.” As the hymn goes, “Take Time To Be Holy.”