Subscribe to Every Post:I have just returned from my two month sabbatical. I have many things to share regarding what I learned. Some of the things could have been predicted. However, most of them would not have been (at least by me anyway). I believe God spoke to me in several areas of my life, and I have categorized them into three different segments: personal life, married life, and church life.
There are far too many things for me to share in one post, therefore, I am planning to share them over the course of several posts.
I guess, as an introduction, I would say that I was surprised by the fact that I needed some time away in order to hear from God in several key areas of my life. If you were to ask me six months ago if I was burned out of ministry, I would have said, “no.” Now that I am on this side of my sabbatical, I realize that I was at least partially burned out (and probably at some point would have been completely). It has been a fast moving 14 years in my job. Today, however, I sense renewal and greater amounts of passion for this next season.
Sometimes we need time away (maybe a day, a weekend, or even longer). We need some time to disconnect from all the demands and allow God to give us perspective in areas that just cannot happen while in the daily grind. This is what God has given me: perspective in areas I didn’t know I needed.
As I share these many reflections over the next few weeks, I want to be vulnerable and transparent. Not everything God shared in my heart was easy, some of it was painful, some of it was joyful, but all of it was beneficial and rewarding.
As I open up in these areas of personal life, married life, and church life, I pray that you will be encouraged to seek rest in some kind of way, and ask God to reveal things to you about your life. One of my prayers during my sabbatical that I said to God over and over again is a simple prayer that Samuel made before God revealed himself to him, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (I Sam. 3:9)
I pray that you will find some time to get away and pray these same words as well.
“Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”