102. Reflections on Sabbaths and Sabbaticals

I didn’t plan to do a sabbatical over the summer, the way that some people plan years in advance when they’ll take an intentional season away from certain professional or ministerial duties. No, my idea to take a sabbatical was born out of the depths of trauma and burnout, and it felt like the only path forward. The last year has been an intense one for me personally, wrought with trauma and conflict and change and challenge. By April, I was completely exhausted and couldn’t fathom what the next months would look like. So I cleared my schedule the best I could, took as many responsibilities off my plate as possible, and gave myself a lot of permission to rest.   The problem was- I didn’t really now what I was doing. I had guidance from my spiritual director and my therapist, and I am grateful for those, but I also was missing one element I have some to believe is key for setting up a meaningful and effective sabbatical: I wasn’t coming from a place of solid Sabbath practice. I work for our church, so Sunday’s aren’t restful for me at all. The weekend is often spent getting ready for Sunday, or doing household chores. I didn’t have a weekly day of rest in my life: how was I supposed to pivot into an entire season of rest?