A NEGLECTED GIFT FOR A HAPPIER LIFE.

HERE IS YOUR GIFT

I think I can offer you a gift that can both extend your life and increase your happiness. Medical studies have shown that the presence of two conditions can contribute to a longer and happier life. The first condition is to be part of a community. As G0d is quoted saying in Genesis, it is not good for a human to be alone. Our participation in both human community and connection with God have demonstrable effects on both our physical and emotional health.

The second condition that contributes to health and happiness is to have an attitude of hope and expectation. People who have positive expectations about their daily living are happier. To look forward to what lies ahead fills you with energy.

A SABBATH SPOT

The gift I am offering you is what I will call a SABBATH SPOT. In the Bible, the Sabbath is a period of time when people stop being productive and enjoy their relationship with God and neighbor. Our traditional way of doing that is through corporate worship where we join with our neighbor and reach out to God in prayer and praise. It is the exact opposite of a society that treats other individuals as objects that can either benefit or threaten us. I am told by those more familiar with Hebrew than I am, that the root of the word Sabbath carries the meaning of the power to impregnate. I want to suggest that practicing the Sabbath can both reconnect you with relationships that are vital and restore energy that enables you to create new life.

OPENING YOUR GIFT

Here is how you can open your Sabbath Spot gift. Either now as you read this blog, or at a time within the next day that you designate, please take the following action. Look at your calendar for the next three months. Each week, identify a two hour period that is most unlikely to be interrupted. Mark that two hour period as your Sabbath Spot.

During that two hour period each week, you are to step aside from all actions that are productive in your current context. Don’t plan meetings, reflect on work challenges, think about sermons or class notes, etc. Allow this time to be an oasis for thinking, dreaming, and exploring possible thoughts, adventures, and futures.

Stretch your mind by reading some theology or philosophy that normally you wouldn’t have time for. (Don’t consider how such ideas could fit into a sermon!!) Go to a book store and pick a book that is entirely outside your field. Listen to some great music, visit a museum, get a simple book on drawing and try it out. Pick a book in the Bible that is new to you and perhaps get a simple commentary to help you. (Again, this is not for sermon preparation. This is for you to experience what God might be saying personally to you.)

You might muse about some alternative futures–even those you would not normally consider. What would it be like to leave the ministry. What would hiking the Appalachian Trail or climbing a huge mountain feel like. What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars and told you to spend it within a year?

A GIFT UNWRAPPED

I’m aware that many might read this blog, think it is an intriguing idea, and then forget about it. I’ve suggested you try it for three months so that it is a realistic possibility. At the end of three months, you might adapt the gift. What if you and your spouse set aside a weekly two hour period to dream, think, and explore about possibilities in your relationship. What if your family set aside two hours weekly to play games and celebrate with food and laughter a good time.

Allow Sabbath Spots to be a pregnant moment in which you stepped beyond the immediate demands and allowed the creative spirit to speak to you.