During the month of October, for 31 Days of Letting Go in the Deep End, I’ll be featuring the words of Sabbath Society Bloggers on weekend posts. I asked them to tell us what they have had to let go of in order to observe Sabbath as a routine, not just something they fit in to the cracks of their busyness. Today, I’m thrilled to feature my friend and wonderful writer, Michelle DeRusha. Check out her post — When the Rules Are Meant to be Broken for more on her journey as a Sabbath -keeper and her 31 Day Series on an Authentic You.
The most surprising and unexpected gift of Sabbath-keeping has been that it offers the space for interruption.
Typically interruption of any kind – whether it’s my kids or my husband or the house – is the bane of my existence. As a Triple Type A, I like everything to roll along on schedule, and I don’t willingly embrace anything that might throw my day off track.
But Sundays are different. Sundays are all about the un-schedule, the interruption, the space to say yes. If my son asks me to toss a Frisbee with him in the back yard, I say yes. If I feel like stretching out on the hammock and reading for two hours, I say yes. If we want to drop everything and go hiking as a family in the park, I say yes.
Practicing the Sabbath has shown me that interruption isn’t always an inconvenience. On Sundays, interruption is a gift.
Want to make Sabbath a weekly rhythm and not just something you fit in to the cracks between busyness? Join the Sabbath Society, it all started here.
Thanks for featuring my thoughts here, Shelly (cool picture, too!). And thank you also for your leadership and inspiration in this beautiful Sabbath Society. A life-changer, for sure. xxoo
Thankful you are part of the Sabbath Society Michelle, your encouragement means so very much.
I will buy your book. And I grew up equating achievement with worth too only my home else was much smoother, didn’t require hiding. The problem with the high school achievement society is that adult life doesn’t come with as much recognition. We herd teens into groups of hundreds and then reward them for art, for math, for sports, for writing, for improvement, for volunteering. There is no reward ceremony for most of adult life and it certainly threw me off balance. I too am learning that quiet hours where nothing gets checked off the list is valuable .
I know Laura, I think you are right, we cultivate a perfectionism mentality all the way up through school with achievement being the idol. It is a rude awakening to learn the most important things we do in life don’t come with rewards or recognition, like feeding the hungry, taking care of the sick, welcoming strangers. It’s an upside down world we live in for sure. Thanks for being here.