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“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do
than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain
I’ve had this quote hanging above my desk for several years now. I love it. Its wisdom gives me courage. But now I wonder about the wisdom of Twain, especially for someone like me who jumps at any opportunity which comes to me.
Christian pastor Mark Buchanan, in his book The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath (W Publishing Group, 2006) writes about the concept of Sabbath as both a day and an attitude. He campaigns vigorously for his readers to revive the Sabbath as a refuge from our pervasive and spiritually destructive culture of busyness.
Buchanan says that when he was asked what his biggest regret was, he didn’t reply that is was having not done things. He replied that it was doing too many things—hurrying from activity to activity without fully entering into the wonder and sacredness of the activity. He says, “Through all that haste, I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away.”
It’s true that most of us feel utterly ransacked too much of the time. We're waylaid by endless demands and stifling routines. Even our vacations have a panicky, task-like edge to them. "If I only had more time" is the mantra of our age. But is this the real problem?
Perhaps our problem is that we have lost “the rest of God”—the rest God gives, and, with it, the part of God we can know only through stillness. Stillness as a virtue is a foreign concept in our society, but there is wisdom in the divine rhythm of work and rest. Sabbath is both elixir and antidote. It is a gift for our sanity and wholeness that prolongs lives, enriches relationships, increases fruitfulness, and makes our joy complete.
Father Damien was a Catholic missionary to the leper colony of Kalaupapa, Hawaii, which
at its peak held 1,200 men, women, and children in exile. His accomplishments were extraordinary. In his book The Colony, John Tayman shares Father Damien’s daily schedule. It is
ridiculous and rivals anything the most driven person of our time can hope to sustain. In
the margin of his diary, however, Father Damien once penned these words: “Rush slowly.”
I think this concept helps us face life while allowing us to remain true to the desires of our heart. These two simple words—“rush slowly”—can move us from a life marked by frantic busyness and chronic distraction to a life of restfulness and wonder.
Mark Buchanan calls it “paying attention.” Father Damien called it “rush slowly.” I urge you to rush slowly through life, paying attention to everything around you and within you.
Prayer: God of Creation, thank you for gifting us with both the day and attitude of sabbath. You meant it as a cure for our busyness. Help us follow Your plan for rest, reverence, and discipleship. Amen.
Jenita Calton
Laywoman
Editor of Baptistar
FBC/Rawlins, WY
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