The Sabbath

5/6/11

I hate getting sick.  It always comes at what seems to be the most inopportune time.  It kicks into my insecurities because I have to let people down by calling in sick or missing appointments.  This time was really a bummer.  My Dad was visiting and I was taking a whole day off to spend with him.  Roy and I planned this great trip to a little artsy town up in the mountains that he would have so enjoyed.  That morning I woke up sick.  Not the kind of sick you can disregard and plow through with a good face; no, the kind of sick that cannot be ignored by anyone around you.  Back to bed I went, disappointed and miserable.  All day it went the same and we were unable to take our trip.  And then I received the best present ever.  My Dad sat on my bed and we talked; we talked about how he was feeling after Georgana’s death and how he is pushing through.  How he has found a greater God through it all and how he wants to know even more about Him.  We talked about my book, Eden’s Song and how proud he was of what Roy and I are doing.   We talked in between trips to the restroom, ice water and naps. 

The next day Roy took him to the airport amidst tears and hugs.  I was forced to stay in bed another day.  I kept thinking of all these things I needed to get done, but it just wasn’t going to happen and I finally succumbed to the fact that I was bound to rest.  When Roy came home from work, we talked.  We talked about what a great visit we had with Dad, where our next trip to Africa would be, what the newspaper said.  He napped before his next shift and I found myself thinking about things from ‘when did my stomach get so round’ to praying for a friend who lost her husband 3 years ago and is wondering if she will meet someone else soon.  I realized that there are very few days that I just allow thoughts to go unbidden in and out of my mind; tossing the ones that mean nothing, pondering insightful discoveries and handing God those too big for me. 

It became a Sabbath.  I never take a Sabbath – I know that is unbiblical, but frankly with a 5 day workweek, laundry, house cleaning, home groups, writing a new book and Eden’s Song there isn’t much time to stop.  But God knows.  God knows there are days that just need to be for building relationships and taking a bath without hurry; days to throw out the distractions and refocus on what He has called us to do.  These last 2 days opened my eyes to the fact that there is more to life than a continuous flow of ‘work’ even if we love what we are doing.  That we really do need to ‘stop and smell the roses’ once in awhile to appreciate the beauty around us enabling us to share it with others. 

I pray you find your Sabbath.