Scenes from my Sabbatical

How is your sabbatical going is the question I get asked frequently.  People are genuinely curious to see if what my expectations were for this time away are being met.  So, then what is my answer? 

What were my expectations?  Long days of quiet walks, readings, and adventures.  A settledness and a peace of mind knowing that I was able to step away for this special three-month break.  Has that been the case?  Yes and no.  I have certainly had the freedom to do those things, but I am learning that I have a really hard time breaking away (I hear that laughter).  Life has been harder to slow down than I thought.  There are many reasons for this. Two of my adult sons are living at home currently. I did not do a good job exiting my community responsibilities the way we did my church ones and there just always seems to be something to do. 

So, a month and half has flown by.  In that month I have had the joy of family time in larger amounts than I have had in a while, I have been getting to know John Buckley the man and not the pastor (kind of scary), I have had some of the best and growing times in my marriage and I am finally in Ohio where in three short days and halfway through my sabbatical I have found quiet.  I have hit a new stride that has allowed me to stop.  Stopping is hard but I am giving myself permission to not see productivity as only the checks on my task list but in other ways.  Sitting on the front porch and just listening, feeling, and watching.  Taking a drive with no destination in mind.  Letting my mind wander as I walk the streets of Cleveland and take in all of the new sights and sounds.  If I am honest though, I feel like what I am doing is wrong to some degree.  Why should I get the joy and beauty of this slower pace when others do not.  Then out of nowhere the quiet voice of God whispers, “My design is for sabbath”.  It convicts me that I am so driven by an agenda that I have failed to learn how to enjoy quiet and the ways I am seeing God when I just learn to breathe.  I am not sure how I can maintain this but that will show itself in time. 

My goal is to share a few of these scenes, and I hope that God will use it to help you to know how to pray for me but also to help you know Him better and build in sabbatical to your life.