Part 3 – Why Receive a Sabbatical?
First, I want to show that answering this question must start and end with God. Second, I want to answer this question on a personal level. I want to share these reflections so that you will know a little more of the life of one shepherd. I want to share with you some of the failures and struggles, some of the passions, pain, and challenges of my body and soul. I do this because I love you and want all of us to grow in trusting our Lord and learning to rest.
I am aiming for proper transparency, not pity. What I share about our life together is not a complaint, but a context. I am blessed beyond measure. God was so wise and gracious in giving me the favor of being Tracy’s husband. I love being the father to such joyful and forbearing children. I count it a privilege to be a shepherd among the flock of Redeemer Fellowship. God continues to show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us all in Christ Jesus. He alone does wondrous things!
“There is no one like you! You alone are God! Great and marvelous are your works!”
A weekly observance of rest and a sabbatical (an extended period of purposeful rest) communicate something of God, His blessedness and holiness (Gen. 2:1-3). They speak of what He has done, is doing, and will do—great things which we cannot comprehend (Gen. 2:1-3; Job 37:5). They are observed to the Lord, so they communicate something to Him (Ex. 16:23; Lev. 25:1-4). In observing rest, we are saying to God: “There is no one like you! You alone are God! Great and marvelous are your works!” Weekly and extended periods of rest are meant to point us to God and His glory because they speak of Him and to Him.
They are also meant for us to receive. A person cannot receive one thing unless it comes from heaven (Jn. 3:27; Ja. 1:17). All that the Lord gives will be good because He alone is good (Ps. 85:12; Mk. 10:18). If weekly and extended periods of purposeful rest are good, then they are also for our good (Mark 2:27). They are meant for us to receive, and we are to receive them by faith.
Could we agree that there is a distinct blessedness that comes through regular and extended periods of rest because they are distinct goods? Could we agree that receiving them by faith brings God distinct glory because they speak of Him and to Him distinctly? If we do, then we can now answer the original question.
God’s Glory
Why receive a sabbatical? I believe God wants to bring Himself glory. How? Far more abundantly than we could ask or think (Eph. 3:20-21). I realize our extended absence from the body will in many ways create more work for some and heavier burdens for others. You and I probably haven’t asked God or thought of all the ways you will need to step-up or fill in gaps, but He who calls us is faithful and He will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:24).
I am jealous for you because I believe you are going to see God do things I have yet to ask or think of Him doing! I expect the best days of Redeemer Fellowship will be the ones in which I am not shepherding among you for a time. I also believe that God has things prepared for me and my family I have yet to ask or think. He will be uniquely glorified among you and the Glockles. Why receive a sabbatical? To speak of and to God, spreading His fame and glory!
God’s Goodness
But another reason for receiving a sabbatical is the goodness of God. This is a goodness for all of us to receive. Trusting God is good, resting in His goodness will alleviate fear—something we all face. It will silence the fantastic “What if…” thoughts and scenarios we like to entertain when we are afraid or when time and space separate us. Have you noticed that when we are anxious and fearful our “What ifs” tend to represent our version of God’s goodness, not His. Like our first parents Adam and Eve, we too are tempted to believe goodness is being taken or withheld from us.
However, even if we come up with a few realistic or probable “what ifs,” God is no less good should they happen. Instead, they are occasions for testing faith, proving it. What could be more precious and good than the tested genuineness of our faith (1 Pet. 1:7)? A period of purposeful rest will require all of us to trust God, not our “what ifs.” A six-month sabbatical is a distinct goodness to receive and another means of bringing about the obedience of our faith.
The answer to our question about rest and sabbaticals begins and ends with God, His glory and goodness. We are to speak of and to God and we are to receive His goodness for our good. Personally, and specifically, why do we elders believe a sabbatical is a necessary good for me to receive?
Wrestling for Rest
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but our spiritual battle means we wrestle in and wrestle with our own flesh and blood, body and soul. Your spiritual battle in many ways is my spiritual battle and likewise the opposite is true. Why? We are united in Christ Jesus—together.
Take order for example. All of us need order (i.e. structure, rhythms, routines) because God is a God of order, and we are created in His image. Bringing about order, cultivating it, and sustaining it images God. Good order and faith are not enemies but cause for rejoicing (Col. 2:5). Our bodies and souls both need order.
Some of the passions, pains, and challenges of my life and ministry involve order. I confess, maybe my brain and body require more order than others or at the least, a certain kind of order to best flourish. When I have a clear vision and defined responsibilities and objectives, it helps me keep life fairly simple and relatively focused. I order my life by creating and aligning systems and structures, rhythms and routines, so that they move in the same direction of the vision.
Body and soul need order, life and ministry require adapting so we learn to be flexible. Herein lies the struggle. We knew that when God called us to Eugene from Bennett, NC, life would be vastly different. As a family, we lacked reference and familiarity in countless ways (6 yr. old Charlie saw Oregon as a third-world country where we would be the only white people.). We had zero connections and ties at all to this part of the country. We have cherished Jesus’ promise of having now and in eternal life brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children, as well as lands for the sake of the gospel (Mk. 10:29-30). The learning curve has been steep, like one of a cross-cultural missionary.
Some of the dominant characteristics of the Pacific Northwest culture I and others observe in good ways and bad:
good: a pioneering spirit, bad: heightened skepticism and suspicion of authority;
good: a passion for personal expression, bad: emphasis on individualism and creativity (as THE standard by which all else is judged);
good: a willingness to break tradition, bad: frequent changes and unwillingness to embrace any tradition.
These characteristics make it ripe for passive-aggressiveness, an issue of love and communication. I prefer to stick with something and then continually make it better. The culture here seems to be in a continual search for something better which results in constant change. The church is neither immune to these things, nor will they prevail against it. We need to take every thought captive (which leads to words and actions) and bring it into the obedience of Christ.
Why do I mention some of these things? I have spent a lot of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy adapting and being flexible. My body and soul feel it, confirmed by a pastoral health assessment I took (PIR Ministries). In many ways I have likely failed to trust our Lord or to rest, both body and soul. I bear full responsibility for any area of neglect or lack. One area of life, one person, affects another, in both helpful and harmful ways. My life affects yours; your life affects mine—this is both the challenge and beauty of belonging.
Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He has allowed me to feel the weight of grief, but it is His. At times, it has seemed like grief is all I could feel in my body and soul—though I longed to feel something else. Those in health care professions might call it compassion fatigue. Perhaps I have had it or have it. If that’s the case, I want to learn more of Christ and find rest in His compassion.
Jesus was also a man of conflict. I am acquainted with this as well. Conflict is unavoidable when you are filled with the Spirt, wisdom, and love. Healthy conflict, when iron sharpens iron, is good conflict because Christ is being formed in us. Unhealthy conflict wears you down because people are attacked while issues or problems are left unresolved. Instead of seeking the same thing, unhealthy conflict seeks its own thing. I want Jesus to be seen in my conflicts. I want to bear the conflict of the cross. I want to die and rise with Him and with you.
Now, I told you I was aiming for proper transparency. Though I have written about some of the personal reasons I am receiving a sabbatical, be confident when I say the work of shepherding the flock is truly a delight. There is no greater joy than seeing and hearing that God’s children walk in truth (3 John 4). The work of church revitalization (the first seven years) and merging churches (the next four years) has been both wonderfully challenging and greatly rewarding.
As our Lord wills, I will share more about the stages of this sabbatical and how they will be spent in Part 4. I am asking God to use this period of purposeful rest to reveal my own sinfulness, lack of trust, and failure to rest. I want Him to reorient and redirect my life. I want Him to create or reestablish the structure and order He wants for my life. I need His help in resetting healthy habits for me and my family. I want to be renewed and refreshed in Christ and return to you in the power of His Spirit.
So, by faith, I’m going to receive this goodness from our Lord as I know you will too. And together, we will glorify Him distinctly, in the rest He provides.