On Being Expendable
Pastor Amy blogged about Sabbath the other day, and this is something that I've been talking and thinking about lately. I have been talking with friends who are also in ministry. This guy at Camp, Brian, is a music minister, and when we were talking about Sabbath, he said that his mentor told him that sabbath is about reminding ourselves that God doesn't need us. I really like this because, on my days off, I often spend so much time thinking about work, and feeling guilty when I'm not working. At Camp, I feel guilty when I take naps during the day, even though I have meetings or Bible studies every night until 10:30 or 11:30, and usually spend time talking to staff members before and after. And I have breakfast at 7:30. And it takes me about an hour to wind down once I get back to my cabin. So, I have been reminding myself that I need sabbath emotionally, physically and spiritually. I've been telling this theory of being expendable to other friends who are in ministry, and I hope it has been helpful.
That said, I just finished a week of Camp that wasn't at all restful, although it was good. I went straight from Camp to my brother's All-Star game in Rising Sun, and left there around 9. I still had to stop at Walmart, and make photocopies at church. And then I got home around 11:30 and started packing. I'm pretty tired, and still a little wound up. I'm so nervous about this mission trip I'm taking, and I'm so afraid I've forgotten something important. When I talked to Amy on the phone yesterday, she said, "Well hopefully God will work things out if you did [forget something important]." Oh right. God. God doesn't need me to remember everything. I mean, it would be good if I did, but thank goodness the success of this mission trip, and my ministry in general doesn't rely on my memory and logistical skills.
Please pray for me. I know I'm going to have an awesome time once I get there. I'm going to keep reminding myself that God has invited me to come on this trip, but if I wasn't going, the work would still get done.
That said, I just finished a week of Camp that wasn't at all restful, although it was good. I went straight from Camp to my brother's All-Star game in Rising Sun, and left there around 9. I still had to stop at Walmart, and make photocopies at church. And then I got home around 11:30 and started packing. I'm pretty tired, and still a little wound up. I'm so nervous about this mission trip I'm taking, and I'm so afraid I've forgotten something important. When I talked to Amy on the phone yesterday, she said, "Well hopefully God will work things out if you did [forget something important]." Oh right. God. God doesn't need me to remember everything. I mean, it would be good if I did, but thank goodness the success of this mission trip, and my ministry in general doesn't rely on my memory and logistical skills.
Please pray for me. I know I'm going to have an awesome time once I get there. I'm going to keep reminding myself that God has invited me to come on this trip, but if I wasn't going, the work would still get done.
posted by Unknown at 1:19 AM
1 Comments:
Megan!! Stop blogging about things I feel an urgent need to respond to! Arrgghh!! Why am I (practically) the only commentator here? :P…
But anyway, I should tell you that I was, at one point, considering writing a book on how the Sabbath can save the world. It was a little joke-y, but not really. (For example, imagine if, for one day, no one in the U.S. drove a car, or bought anything!)
I know people have different interpretations of how to actually keep the Sabbath, but I think you hit the nail on the head that the point is to sort of feel expendable, in the sense that you're communing with God by just going with the flow (His flow?). That's why (in my belief), you don't do any creative work, because it's the day on which God took a break from creating stuff, and we're recognizing him as The Creator. And the goal is, for one day, to not control our environment, as much as possible.
In Judaism, the Sabbath is definitely a big deal – it's technically a holiday, it's described as "a cathedral in time" and is considered a preview of the World to Come. So, in my understanding, Heaven could be like an eternal Sabbath (except hopefully with more Eat'n Parks, of course... :D ) But I digress. Have a good trip!! I (and you) know everything will work out for the best.
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