I am fascinated by rest. The Jewish calendar called for a weekly Sabbath (24 hours for worship and rest from all physical labor), a Sabbath year, (resting the land every 7th year) and the Year of Jubilee (every 50th year, essentially resting the land, debts and servants).
Apparently rest is a big deal to God. As I have reflected on the sovereignty of God’s rhythms of rest, I wondered how we could fit them into our twenty-first century lives? I already love our family’s Sunday Sabbath, (a day of worship and rest at home), which has been life-giving for the rest of the week. However, would taking Sabbath farther be even more fruitful? As business owners, can we create an opportunity for our staff to rest their minds and bodies? How would that even work, when we have a business to run?
I kid you not, these were conversations my husband and I had in February and March…and then hit a mandatory-at-home-quarantine and a six-week-shut-down of our business. (Please don’t blame us for Corona!) Believe me, a pandemic is not at all what we imagined or wanted, but the quarantine did create space for some of the ideas we’d been discussing. I hope this type of disaster never happens again, yet I also hope to carry with me some lessons learned.
What if God allowed the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 so that we would be forced to reevaluate our priorities, in order to see with 20/20 vision?
Here are some ways I’ve been able to see more clearly, as life got simpler:
Soak Up the Sabbath
God ordained 52 Sundays a year, for worship and rest. What if we accepted His gift? What if Sunday really was a day to rest from working, spending and stressing? A day set apart for worshipping God, meals around the table, time with family, games, reading, art, music, nature, naps. We have found that fully experiencing Sabbath with the people we love, worshipping the God we love, without work, errands or hard labor starts our week at a more peaceful pace and we look forward to this day each week. Remembering the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, but it’s also a gift from the Lord.
Simplify Stress
Things like meal-planning and consolidating errands have decreased stress & helped the budget. I’ve never had much luck with meal planning, but having six weeks of practice, I found my groove. As we all know, eating at home saves money, is often healthier and makes eating out something to look forward to. Time around our table is sweeter than time in a crowded restaurant. Choosing essential vs. nonessential errands revealed things that seemed “necessary” at the moment, yet could actually wait a day or three (or forever). Consolidating errands saves gas, money, time and stress from running around, plus inspires creativity as we use or repurpose what we already have.
Stop to Smell the Roses
If anything came into better focus during the quarantine, it’s the simple, daily pleasures like birds singing, flowers blooming, a walk around the block or a FaceTime call from a friend. As we re-enter our lives and calendars fill back up, I hope to keep enough space each day to pause and enjoy the small gifts from God. And what if we self-imposed an annual “quarantine”? A time for unplugging, clearing the schedule, getting out in nature and experiencing rest. I think my soul could get used to that.
Shift Priorities
As much as I miss the weekly gatherings and activities, I have also really enjoyed the space in our calendar. This experience has been a great simplifier for me, whittling down what’s really important. When jobs, gatherings, entertainment, shopping, “life as we know it” stopped, Jesus remained and He was more than enough. We weathered this difficult season by God’s grace and I pray priorities will be seen through a re-focused lens.
Sweep Away Clutter
At the beginning of the quarantine, we cleaned out closets and organized bedrooms, the attic, garage and other areas that had been getting on our nerves for a while. It’s amazing how the act of decluttering set the tone for the rest of the quarantine. (Honestly, it made being at home 24/7 a much more pleasant experience!) This sort of entire-house-organizing and deep-cleaning really needed a six-week period, and thankfully we had that kind of time on our hands. (Wink.) For me, an uncluttered house creates an uncluttered heart and mind. I hope to be diligent in keeping clutter at a minimum by handling it as it happens, rather than waiting a decade for a major overhaul. (Maybe this applies to physical, emotional and relational “clutter” too.)
As much as the COVID-19 quarantine unveiled fears, questions and stress, it also brought to the surface some beautiful gifts, and isn’t that just like our God? He’s the One who always does the unexpected, bringing beauty from ashes, life from death… gifts from a virus.
How about you? How has the “quarantine, simplified life” changed you? What insights do you hope to carry with you into “normal life”? In 2020 are you seeing anything with 20/20 vision?
Editor’s Note: For books on rest, check out 24/6 by Matthew Sleeth, Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons, Sacred Rest by Saudra Dalton-Smith and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
Meet the Author!
Heather McAnear is a wife, mom, author and speaker with a passion for sharing God's truth to help women understand their uniquely beautiful design and how to use it for God's glory! In fact, Heather hosts the Uniquely Beautiful Stories podcast on iTunes in hopes do just that! She loves teaching young married couples with her husband, homeschooling their three children, traveling the world, enjoying good chocolate and long conversations in coffee shops. CRBC has been her church home for two decades and she is thrilled to be part of the Women's Ministry team, helping women connect with each other and grow in their walk with Jesus!