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christian•devotionals

an experiment

August 25, 2020 by mish 6 Comments

A few months ago, I decided to try something new.

I had been reading a lot about people who practiced a proper day of Sabbath rest and was curious.  In both my roles as a lecturer at Bible college and as Chief of staff in a not-for-profit organisation, COVID-19 had brought about a huge increase in my overall workload.  I thought if I could experience a fraction of what these authors were sharing about how life giving they felt through practicing Sabbath rest, I’d be content.  

This morning, as you read this devotional, ready to begin yet another work day, you might be asking how all this is relevant?  If you’re completely content about your pace of life and your restful state as you go about your daily work, then read no further.  

However, if you’re feeling somewhat tired now even after a night of rest and feel like you’re stuck in a hurried, constant state of busyness, I invite you to join me on this Sabbath experiment.  

Firstly, why are we even talking about rest?  In Genesis 1:31 – 2:3 it says, 
“31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.  2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” 

It’s interesting to note that the very first “thing” that God calls holy is not indeed a thing, or a place (like the other religions), but instead it is time or a day. 

So back to my Sabbath experiment – here was what I did. 
Take a Sabbath, or in Hebrew the word Shabbat which means stop.  I chose to start on Saturday sundown till Sunday night and really rest.  To me that meant to stop, worship and delight in God.  For a whole 24 hours.  And when i stopped, I stopped thinking about work, doing work, planning for work.  I also decided that some of the things I was doing on my iPhone could have been defined as work, so I decided that my phone was going to rest with me too.

In the midst of this process, taking a Sabbath meant I had to clearly define what was “work” for me.  This meant thinking through and deciding which activities constituted rest and which ones were work.  Living as a single, by myself, away from my family, I soon learned after a few weeks that I would have to be selective about who I would choose to spend that day of rest with.   

What this experiment did was change the rhythm of my entire week, as it required careful planning to ensure I could rest properly for that seventh day.  Whilst I am still refining my weekly schedule, I’m increasingly realising the truth of Walter Brueggemann’s words “People who keep Sabbath live all seven days differently.”

Whilst I always knew that I wouldn’t have a problem feasting during the Sabbath, or as John Mark Comer termed “pleasure stacking” (where you experience good thing after good thing as you would when celebrating a birthday), the ever growing tougher revelations for me included the following: 

  • I realised I didn’t know how to properly rest. 
  • I realised my addiction to my phone. 
  • I underestimated how much value, importance and significance I received via the sometimes relentless messages on social media and WhatsApp.
  • I realised there was discipline required in not simply not doing work, but also not thinking about the never ending pile of to-dos that I had left incomplete at work.  

Perhaps the toughest thing I found was to sit in silence and solitude.  The silence seemed so deafening… as it was very confronting to deal with the thoughts that were swirling around in my mind.  Through this process, I have learnt more about myself as I gave myself space to journal and process my feelings and bring them to God. 

With my one day of rest each week, it’s caused me to learn how to slow my general pace of life for the rest of the week.  I’m beginning to realise the wisdom of Dallas Willard, as he called busyness the enemy of spiritual life and urged us to ruthlessly eliminate hurry.   As confronting as it was to admit, John Ortberg was right when he said that “Busyness isn’t just a disordered schedule, it’s a disordered heart”. 

Yet, in the world today, busyness is something that we almost take pride in.  We pack our schedules to the brim to make the most of every second of the day.  I wonder how much this busyness illustrates to others how important we are and how able we are to do everything?  

Perhaps as you consider joining me in this experiment, the real question is : What stops you from taking time out to rest? What are you afraid of? 

Prayer : 
God, thank you for creating the Sabbath and giving us the Sabbath.  Thank you that you designed a day of rest when you created this universe and called it holy.  Forgive us for the times we have played god and ran our lives thinking we can do it our way.  Please help us to slow down, to be present and to stop the busyness and hurry of life, so we can hear you clearly and delight in your presence.  In Jesus name, Amen. 

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About Me

Hi, my name is Mish.

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mishkoh

new. i sense a change of seasons. a freshness. a new.
i sense a change of seasons. 
a freshness. 
and i’m posting now to remind me of this moment. this feeling. 
now is the time.  i don’t know if i can fully articulate it in words, by every cell in my body senses the change.
finally.
the time is now.
the waiting has passed and i’m declaring a season of fruitfulness, abundance and fullness. 
in the last couple of months but increasing in the last week, i’ve discovered new things about myself, new gifts 🎹, new miracles, new friendships, new communities to embrace, new business, new ideas... at such a phenomenal pace yet with such calm, ease, and flow.  maybe this is the easy yoke i have been pondering over. 
all thanks and to my maker, who creates, provides and sustains everything. 
soli deo gloria

for those of you waiting, i want to say... it was worth the wait. every single second.  cos it tastes all the sweeter knowing the journey it took to get here.
change i woke up to this view and realised change change

i woke up to this view and realised change is part of the clever design of creation.  change that every season brings.  over the last week, these branches have transformed from barren and empty to blossoming beautiful purple flowers. 

often we try and resist change... and fight it.  but i wonder what new thing He is currently doing in your life? often it takes time for others to see what work has been done internally.  so dear friends, keep going, keep preserving, for the fruit will be worth it.
its crazy, this place is only a few kilometers fro its crazy, this place is only a few kilometers from my current home, and after all the years i’ve lived in sydney, i’m still finding new places to explore... 
i feel truly blessed to call australia home... and to be surrounded by amazing creation - both natural and made by people...

today, as i exited this quiet neighborhood with a friend, i was almost shocked to find the busyness and noise of the traffic.. it was almost as if we had entered a peaceful haven for an hour - totally out of this world. 

i desire to find time each day to enter into peace and find stillness with my maker, and to find rest as i commune with him and listen attentively to his words... if only for a brief moment.
it’s been a while since i’ve explored a new pl it’s been a while since i’ve explored a new place, and today it was great to walk and chat and share with @nico.farnham 

{delight} is the word that i’ve been contemplating on over the last few days... 

do i truly delight in Him, and enjoy the fullness of his goodness? 

“take delight in the Lord, and he will give you desires of your heart” ~ psalms 37:4
this photo represents the impromptu-ness and free this photo represents the impromptu-ness and free exploration that i’ve intentionally wanted to achieve on this holiday. 
best thing i did was to deliberately delete whatsapp from my phone, and the reward has been priceless.  no constant interruptions with the blur between social and work messages... and the mental and emotional space i have experienced is something i desire to keep maintaining. 
i first saw this image a few days ago when it was pelting rain, whizzing past the highway at 100km/hr. 
determined not to simply let this image remain as a figment of my imagination, i went past this road as slowly as i safely could today and was excited to find a tiny driveway a few metres away where i could park the car.

it’s been *ages* since i’ve taken my camera anywhere. u could say that the joy of crafting something beautiful became few and far between when i started a boutique photography business... not helped by the constant requests to take event photography, something i have never loved due to lack of creativity  and avoided even when i got paid. 
#iphoneonly
come away with me... i went for a very quick surf come away with me... i went for a very quick surf a few days ago and that quick reset cleared my mind and thoughts!

right after i got out from the water, still wet and salty, i wrote this poem. 
now to set the context, i don’t consider myself a poet.. and this is probably the second ever poem i’ve written. ~~~
come away with me
let me caress you
shower my love on you
my thoughts are with you
i long to be with you

come away with me
let me refresh you
soak in my presence 
let me wash away your worries
show you the things that truly matter 
come away with me
let go and fall 
in the safety of my arms
let me embrace you and hold you tight
i understand all you are going through

come away with me
lean on me
i will hold you steady
there is nothing to fear
i am always by your side

come away with me
find peace in me
let me comfort you 
for i know you intimately 
i will never leave nor forsake you

come away with me
rest and know that
with every breath you take 
the depth and width 
of my love for you grows 
come away with me
there is no time wasted 
spent in my presence
my dear child 
there is nothing i won’t do for you
~~~ thanks for reading it till the end!! if u want to read more... head over to www.mish.blog

#surf #blackandwhite #poem
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