The Very Reverend Billie Abraham, Rector
God gives us rest. Why do we resist?
April 2011
If GOD doesn't build the house,
the builders only build shacks.
If GOD doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your tired fingers to the bone.
Don't you know GOD enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?
Psalm 27
The Messenger Translation
God enjoys giving us rest. Why do we resist rest? Why is it so difficult to honor a Sabbath day in
our weekly routines? I cannot count the times I have heard someone say, "I don't know how I ever had
time to work. I stay so busy since I retired." How many times I have internalized anxiety at having far
too many things to do in far too little time? More times than I care to admit.
Something wonderful occurred when my grandchildren and I arrived at Gray Center a week ago. We
unloaded the car and got settled in our cottage. It was at this point that Jack and Kate noticed the
lack of a television and the lack of cell phone reception. After the initial shock passed, we settled
down to play Dizzios (an updated version of
Dominos).
We talked about sleeping late in the morning, preparing waffles for breakfast and riding our bikes. I
announced to the children and to myself, "We don't have to be in a hurry. No one is marking our time. We
are not on a schedule." I surprised myself with those words.
We really didn't have to do anything at an appointed time for the next 48 hours. The lack of a
schedule was almost unsettling, for the children as well as me. Their day-to-day lives are packed with
school, friends, sports, gymnastics, and church activities.
We adjusted! We stopped checking the time. We stayed in our pajamas until late morning. We rode bikes
between rain showers. Jack and Kate gloated when they beat me at the games we played. We slowed down.
The fact that this leisurely rhythm was such an attention-getter tells me how unusual it is. After
the children returned to Oxford and I returned to Bovina, I reread a chapter from Barbara Brown Taylor's
book entitled An Altar in the World. The name of the chapter was "The Practice of Saying No —
Sabbath." I recalled that this chapter grabbed my attention when I read it several months ago. But of
course, I had gotten busy and forgotten Barbara's words of wisdom.
The following is the paragraph that spoke loud and clear to me: "Most people I know want to talk
about why it is impossible for them to practice Sabbath. If you want to try it, then make two lists on
one piece of paper. On one side of the paper, list all of the things you know give you life that you
never take time to do. Then on the other side, make a list of all the reasons why you think it is
impossible for you to do those things. That is all there is to it. Just make two lists, and keep the
piece of paper where you can see it. Also promise not to shush your heart when it howls for the list it
wants."
OK. I admit, I read this formula, but I didn't actually make my two lists. Barbara Brown Taylor admits
that developing a rhythm of Sabbath was not easy for her either. She suffered burn-out from ministry and
left parish work to teach at a college. The struggle to say no followed her into her new career, but,
she is "practicing" the practice of saying no.
If I am going to make my two lists, I have to stop writing this letter. I have to stop looking at my
to-do list and think about the life giving things that I have pushed to the back burner. To tell you the
truth, it is far easier to add to my to-do list than to make myself stop accomplishing tasks and give
myself some Sabbath time.
WARNING: I see a red flag! Is my "say no" list going to become one more thing to do? Before I write my
lists I am going to read another chapter in Brown's book, The Practice of Being Present to God. I
must remind myself, whether I am saying yes or no, the journey is all about being aware of God's
presence in the yes's and the no's. It's all about God!
Don't you know GOD enjoys giving rest to those he loves.
In peace,
Billie+
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