Sabbath. That Jesus-sounding word no one knows what to do with. Sometimes I call it Saturday. Other times I don't call it anything because frankly, it's just not in my week. I have time off, but I fill it. I fill it with meetings, catching up on cleaning and grocery shopping, mindlessly switching between apps on my phone, fulfilling promises I made to people, and just plain old overcommitment.
There's just no pure, unadulterated rest in my life. And boy am I feeling it.
I feel tired.
I feel anxious.
I feel unable to quit.
And when your mind can't quit, but your body quite literally shuts down on you, it's high time to re-prioritize.
So, Sabbath. What was that middle-eastern guy from centuries ago named Jesus talking about anyway? Sleeping in? Netflix? Junk food? Hermit-ing into your room for a day? Taking a walk outside? Trying new restaurants? Napping?
I don't know exactly what the most effective Sabbath is, or even the full meaning of that word, but our Seattle team tried it in a way I haven't before. We Sabbathed together. You see, usually when we hang out with people there's a plan.
We're meeting around this time.
We're going here.
We're eating this for dinner.
And now it's over.
Our Seattle team is reading a book called Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Breen and it's been a pretty easy, yet fantastic read. In one of the chapters Breen talks about the rhythm between work and rest and how crucial that constant rocking back and forth is to your effectiveness as a human, but also as a Christian. He challenges the reader to practice Sabbathing with others--inviting people into your rest space, showing how you rest and recharge, and then doing that together. No schedule. No plans. No prep. No times. Just meeting up and giving an entire day to each other.
And that's exactly what we did. We met up, had a late brunch with a wide spread of yummy breakfast food, and then had no plan but to let our bodies rest in the same space together.
Now, it must be said here that I'm an introvert. Actually probably an ambivert. But, in my rest, I'm a full out introvert. I like dark, quiet, and alone. So, I was pretty unsure about this way of resting. But, I just tried because...why not? Ok...I agreed because Dan really wanted to try it. But it ended up being completely opposite of what I expected. I expected for everyone to feel rest except me because we were hosting it at our house. So that meant stocking everything and keeping tabs on how everyone is doing. Not dark. Not quiet. Not alone.
So I made a pledge to myself and told myself sternly, "I'm not doing anything I don't want to do." Plain and simple. And a little bratty. But dang it, this was my Sabbath too. And I wanted this way of Sabbathing to be a good experience. (Plus, I had another week of work before I made it to the next Saturday and I wasn't going to have this one hijacked. Pretty bratty, right?)
So, in my stubbornness, I stuck to that pledge. And wowza I'm glad I did because it was one of the the most restful Saturdays I've had in months. We didn't have a plan but we ended up doing so many things together: going for walks, flying a kite, snacking, laughing, talking about Seattle, painting, looking through magazines, watching Netflix, ordering pizza, and jumping on some trampolines. It created even more depth between us as a team--as friends--and allowed us to see each other recharge. We didn't get a thing done except deepening our connections with each other. So, in other words, we were most productive in the least tiring way. Maybe that's what that Jesus guy meant.
So I don't know exactly what Sabbath looks like for you, but I challenge you to try a group Sabbath. Call a friend or two (or seven like us), pledge an entire Saturday to each other, and don't plan a thing.
...except these awesome-possum sausage balls. You gotta make these 😉
- 2 rolls of sausage (pick your sausage based on your preferred level of spicy. I like to mix 1 roll of mild with 1 roll of hot and it typically is tame enough for both preferences to tolerate)
- 3 cups of shredded cheese
- 4 cups of Bisquick
Mix with your hands until all Bisquick and cheese are absorbed into sausage. Roll into small ~1.5" balls and place on large cookie sheet. I typically freeze them on the cookie sheet (uncooked) so that I can bag, save, and use them for other mornings. Especially since this recipe makes 3 quart-sized baggies full.
Bake however many you want at 375℉ for 25 minutes. Eat with grape/strawberry jelly!
