So Focused on Doing, We Forget About Being

Hi everyone-

I hope you are all enjoying the fall.  Yesterday was certainly a beautiful day here.

My last 3+ years in the Air Force (2005-8) I was also studying for my Masters in Ancient History.  Working at the Weapons School meant 60'ish hours of work a week, usually 5-6 days a week (with the odd 7 day week thrown in).  On top of that I had a fair bit of reading and writing for my Masters (10-20 hours depending on the week probably) ... so, as you can imagine even if I only worked at the Weapons School 5 days, I still spent significant chunks of Saturday and Sunday working on school.  In other words, I didn't have days off.

This mentality became pretty engrained in me, so I took it with me to my studies at the school formally known as Mars Hill Graduate School. :) I was trying to do a 4-year program in 3 years, with the result that I worked on my reading and writing 7 days a week and only slept 6 hours or so a night so I could fit in time to workout and hang out with my family.  This was the rhythm of my life was very focused on doing.  Doing my reading, doing my writing, doing my workout, doing my chores, doing time with Carla, doing time with the kids, doing time at the jail ... just kidding. :)

A series of conversations with Carla and other students combined with some sermons I heard, teaching at school, and reading I did to change this.  Carla and I developed a new rhythm.  What is it you ask? ... Wait for it ...

Back in the day, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for over 400 years.  You could truthfully say that in all probability for over 400 years they worked every day!  Talk about poor benefits!  This is the context in which the Exodus story (God through Moses leading them out of slavery) occurred.  I'm guessing you're all familiar with an important part of this, the ten commandments, right?  But, before the ten commandments came one far more important one (in my opinion).  In Exodus 16 we find Moses talking to the people:

²³ He told them, “This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.”

Some of the Israelites don't listen, so God reemphasizes the importance of the Sabbath a few verses later:

²⁸ The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? ²⁹ They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you.

After 400+ years without a day off, God realizes the most important thing for His people is to develop a new rhythm.  This rhythm is one of work then rest, work then rest, work then rest.  Or to put it differently, doing then being, doing then being, doing then being.

Carla and I began keeping the Sabbath.  It's a day when all our chores and school work are done ... even though they're not technically done if you know what I mean.  It's a day of rest and play and joy and football (go Seahawks!) :) We get to stop doing and just be Lang and Carla.  It is life giving.  I'd say it's the best spiritual practice I've ever began.  And, because God knows what He's doing, amazingly enough I get more school work done (and of better quality) by taking a day completely off, then I did working 7 days a week.

What kind of rhythms do you have?  What do you think of adding being to doing?

If you want to receive email notifications when I post new blogs, please put your email in the "Follow by email" block to the right.

Grace and peace,
Lang