I love fall. For quite a while I couldn’t understand how it was not everyone else’s favorite season. I am now more open to other perspectives, but it still is the season I most anticipate. The one where my soul sighs and says yes, I’m at home.
As I look forward to fall, I had fun re-reading some post from last year. Specifically ones from the 31 Days series. (You can see them all right here.) This one was from 10/15/12.
The earth wobbles on its axis. Moving us closer to the sun. And then farther. In October it’s the Southern Hemisphere’s turn to be the favorite.
Away we go.
The shortening daylights confirm science.
We may resist. We may welcome. We can not change it.
God’s rhythm of life. Seasons. Revealing the facets and purposes of our soul. Revealing His part. Revealing my part.
Summer makes us feel invincible. We can accomplish anything. Or nothing. Long days serve our whims.
Fall comes. Changing up the pace. Revealing limitations of our humanness.
Of the Ten Commandments, I think of most of them as…well, commandments. But my choices in life belie that I consider “Remember the Sabbath” as one of the ten. Rather I treat it as a mere suggestion.
Fall challenges me. With it’s shortening days, it says it is not. It’s not a suggestion. Sabbath is a commandment. As with all of them, not created to restrict. But with an intent for freedom.
My soul notices this in fall. Will I stop and listen? Pay attention to deep calling deep?
Will I let the Sabbath rhythms capture me? With their sweet lullabies of rest?
Or will I do and produce and try harder? Will I resist the light hours decreasing. With it’s gentle call: “Let go of busy. Turn off the noise in your mind. Come to me all you who weary. Enter my presence with full attention and remember my Sabbath.”
May I let go of my work and to do list. Showing God my trust in Him.
May I respond “Yes!”, to the invitation from the shorter days. Stepping away from making the cogs move. Showing my humanness in shadow of the One who can keep the world running. Stepping into the refreshment of acknowledging my limitations and His abundance.
In the spirit of letting shorter days into our souls, of letting them remind us of Sabbath rest and rhythm, each day this week I’ll be sharing a Sabbath practice. A practice to help us leave behind distractions and enter fully into Sabbath renewal.
Sabbath Practice: Create a Sabbath box.
Set aside an hour, a day, any time period to designate as Sabbath- a time of ceasing or resting. Wayne Muller suggests as you begin the time, put in the box things you don’t want to use during your Sabbath. If it is something too cumbersome (ie a computer), place something symbolic such as a flash drive. It can serve as a physical reminder of what we leave behind when we enter sacred rest.
You can also use the Sabbath box to hold things that have been left undone. You could write a word or phrase that signifies a worry or concern that you would like to leave behind for the time being.
“Sabbath is not the absence of work: it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us.
-Wayne Muller “Sabbath- Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in our Busy Lives” (His book can be found here.)
Thank you Cindy Ford for the photograph. She takes amazing pictures of God’s creation. You can see them here.
Prefect BLog To Start My Day!