I can’t bring myself to discard the shiny souvenir that represents the joy of resting on our laurels since Christmas. And neither can the other four people in my house.
For more than a week, a tiny pile of glitter lies in a heap on the smudged glass of the coffee table, among sweating glasses on coasters, book tents, reading glasses, and socked feet. The most miniscule pieces of silver garland poke out from the top. It reminds me of a sprite’s shovel left on a pile of fairy dust, at least that’s how it’s playing out in my imagination.
For the past two weeks, every ounce of energy and every task list centered around thinking of others. There is something about the corporate act of giving yourself away that brings the deepest kind of life fulfillment.
A return to self-awareness leaves you sighing in your new pajamas, and dreading the alarm clock.
In the first days of the year I’m asking myself how I can make every day count, the way my days brim with meaning over Christmas and the New Year. Because resolutions and goals, they are rooted in self-focus. And while well-intentioned, the more I look inward, instead of out, the more blurry my focus.
I asked a similar question last year on a routine morning walk and received an answer I didn’t expect.
Sabbath.
I started the Sabbath Society and asked people to join me. Perhaps it says something about the depth of my faith because I only expected a handful to say yes, not almost 200.
But more than expectations, I was misguided in my thinking. I assumed an intentional choice to give up twenty-four hours in order to choose rest every week wasn’t going to be desirable to a culture awarded for doing. Not something people will line up for like they will for Starbucks.
Choosing a discipline means sacrifice comes with it. Like diet and exercise, disciplines are easier to accomplish in the embrace of community. Don’t cha think?
As my son pulls his arms through the sleeves of his new coat and fastens the toggles, glitter sparkles on the hem of navy. No matter how hard he tries to wipe the flecks off, they stick. And God answers my curious question about keeping perspective.
Christ’s presence is personal and sometimes subtle, like granules of glitter sticking to the surface of your life. You may not be aware of it in the midst of the scurry but it will be with you in the car, on the bus, along the train tracks, at the checkout counter, in the seat at your desk. People will notice the twinkle. They might be curious and ask you about it.
And on that seventh day, you’ll see the glimmer on your kitchen counter, in the carpet, and on the leg of your yoga pants because your mind is resting and expectant.
How do you keep joy flaming during the ordinary days on the calendar? Like a playful sprite being called to dinner by an aunt on the front stoop. Leave your shovel on a heap of glitter for the call of Sabbath and you’ll remember what really matters the other six days of the week.
Want to make Sabbath a weekly rhythm and not just something to fit into the cracks between busyness? Join the Sabbath Society, it all started here. This year, find the community on our Pinterest board and on Instagramand Twitter with the hashtag #sabbathsociety.
