Words of Wisdom from The Daily Office - Part 9

From my rehearsal notes:  Wednesday, October 19 -- we're almost caught up and current!  Woohoo!

As we loaded the CHS Band equipment up after they played their show in Chesnee last Saturday, we discovered that one of my tires was not completely flat, but it was dangerously low. We successfully pumped the tire back up and it held all the way back to Clinton (thanks be to God), but further examination revealed that all four tires were suffering from a case of dry-rot. First thing Monday morning my horse got new shoes.

The old tires still had a good deal of tread wear left in them, but they were 9 years old and the truck was never kept in a garage or carport. Constant exposure to the UV rays of sunlight with no shelter breaks down the structural integrity of the tires. There’s a parallel in our lives. Our souls were created with a need for Sabbath rest (shelter) on a weekly basis. When I don’t observe Sabbath (and I usually don’t do so very successfully), I abuse my soul and run the risk of spiritual dry-rot.

As was last week’s quote, this week’s quote is from a book by Wayne Mueller – Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives.

Sabbath is not dependent upon our readiness to stop. We do not stop when we are finished. We do not stop when we complete our phone calls, finish our project, get through this stack of messages, or get out this report that is due tomorrow. We stop because it is time to stop.

Sabbath requires surrender. If we only stop when we are finished with all our work, we will never stop – because our work is never completely done. With every accomplishment there arises a new responsibility. If we refuse rest until we are finished, we will never rest until we die. Sabbath dissolves the artificial urgency of our days, because it liberates us from the need to be finished.

We stop because there are forces larger than we that take care of the universe, and while our efforts are important, necessary, and useful, they are not (nor are we) indispensable. The galaxy will somehow manage without us for this hour, this day, and so we are invited –nay, commanded – to relax, and enjoy our relative unimportance, our humble place at the table in a very large world.

Do not be anxious about tomorrow, Jesus said again and again. Let the work of this day be sufficient.

Sabbath says, be still. Stop. There is no rush to get to the end, because we are never finished.

As I wrote last week, I share this stuff with you because I need it as desperately as anyone.


That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.