This was a first for us.

Chris and I were called into full-time vocational ministry together. We had served heavily in a volunteer role the moment we started dating and this lasted a couple of years until Chris received his first offer for a pastoral role. Because of the nature of our work, learning to rest and vacation well has been paramount.

We are blessed that our leaders at Life.Church encourage regular time off. Our role is not harder than someone else who has a job in a workplace outside the church. Many roles are can be challenging despite the environment. I just know that for us, as pastors and leaders, we have had to learn to navigate the ins and outs of serving the people of our church and staff. 

To make the most of your time off, I’d like to share three things that we did and four things we learned:

What We Did

1. Solitude. Chris went away alone on day 1 of our sabbatical. This was a game changer for him. Sometimes on vacations it can take a few days to relax and disconnect. But, when you are on a motorcycle riding through the mountains in Colorado, it’s not hard at all. (I stayed home with our sons and met up with him on day 7 in Colorado and we spent the next 8 days there.) If getting away alone does not work for your marriage or family, at least encourage some alone time even if it’s just for 3-4 hours each day for a period of time. I also found ways to get alone myself during our time off even when I was still home with our sons.
2. Disconnect. Chris had no access to email or social media during this time. He removed it from his phone. He even downloaded a texting app for just our family to use so that he wouldn’t see other text messages arriving on his phone. I also chose to stay off social media during this time. And you know what? Neither of us cared one bit that we could not engage on it. We did not miss it AT ALL.
3. Travel. Take a family trip, a staycation and a vacation during an extended time off. Family trips are with the kids – go someplace where they would enjoy. A staycation is just being at home – find your rhythm and enjoy it. Make sure you have a vacation with just your spouse. Make this a 7-day trip at least. Chris and I did not do a vacation during this time because as I said, our kids are older. So, our staycation was like a vacation as well. (However, we do vacation together every year – HIGHLY VALUABLE!)

What We Learned

1. Leave things unplanned. We did not plan our entire 4 weeks away. Two of the weeks for Chris were spent away and two were at home. We felt like planning every bit of it would defeat the purpose of a sabbatical. But trust me, as a planner, I had plans and they were good! However, very few of them came to fruition. So, we encourage you not to plan every bit of yours either.
2. Welcome boredom. Be okay with being bored. Now, I know you may not think you will get bored on your time off. Maybe you won’t. But just welcome it if you can. The biggest decision we had on any given day was whether we were going to eat out at a restaurant or eat at home. Tough life, huh?
3. Take naps. When you get sleepy, sleep. We did this a lot – which many people saw on our oldest son’s Instagram account. Thank you, Noah.
4. Rest deeply. Be still and sit with your Heavenly Father. Listen for his voice. Share your concerns but also just talk to him as you would your spouse or a friend. Even if you don’t sense Him revealing anything new or fresh to you, just stay there. Embrace the quiet.

So, can I describe what we received from this sabbatical in one word or one phrase? I’d say we had a deep soul rest. It was life giving and life rejuvenating. It’s hard to explain but if you’ve read 5 Gears by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram then you’ll understand this: we were in gear 1 for 98% of our sabbatical. 

Chris and I were not in an unhealthy place at the beginning of this four weeks. Were we tired? Uh-huh. Were we ready to disconnect? Absolutely. Were we ready to rest? For sure. Were we excited to spend time in Colorado with our sons? Strong yes. But the reason we were not in dire need of this time to “fix” us was because of two things:

We spend time in God’s Word every morning
and we have learned to rest well.

We have made it a priority to begin our days in God’s Word. It is our guidebook, our source of all truth. It is strength for the soul, wisdom for the mind and food for the body. In addition to that, we honor the Sabbath each week. And when we do that, we find that we do not get to a place of burnout. 

Wherever you are in your life, full-time vocational ministry or ministry in your own workplace, know that you must stay connected to the Vine through His Word and rest well if you want to be able to say…

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

1. Reflect. Think about and meditate on God’s awesome attributes. His faithfulness, sustaining power, presence, and strength helped you climb the mountain you now stand on. Thank God for the mountaintop, and thank Him for the climb that got you there. (Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 Corinthians 12:9)
2. Rest. Soak it up. Allow your spirit to breathe deeply. Don’t busy yourself to fill in the gaps because you aren’t used to the quiet. Sit in silence. Take long naps, long walks, and do things you enjoy. Have yourself a nice, long sabbath after such a long, hard spiritual expedition. (Exodus 20:8; Matthew 11:28)
3. Recharge. Maybe your sense of worry comes from a nagging feeling like you should be working harder than you are. Maybe you think you’re being lazy—but don’t mistake rest for being lazy. This recharging period is to strengthen our spiritual muscles that are sore from the treacherous hike we just finished and to ready ourselves for both the joys and challenges of the future. (Matthew 6:33)

Here’s an example. One day, I was reading the eleventh chapter of John, which chronicles the story of a man named Lazarus. Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick and near death. They fully expected Jesus would run to their brother and heal him because he was such a dear friend. However, his healing didn’t occur because Jesus didn’t come in time. Instead, Lazarus died. And the sisters were devastated.  

Lazarus’ healing was their plan, not Jesus’. In John 11:4, Jesus disclosed that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death but that it was for God’s glory—and that Jesus would be glorified through it. A miraculous healing for Lazarus would’ve been a great thing. But for Lazarus to be raised from the grave would be an even better thing.

That’s when it happened. I could hear God’s voice, in that moment. I knew God was speaking to me in a new way through a passage I’ve read and studied more than I can remember. I heard God’s voice as I felt Him compare Mary and Martha to me. Then, I felt Him gently ask me if I wanted my best plan or His best plan.

When we spend time in God’s Word, we get to know His voice. And when we recognize His voice, we’ll know what He’s leading us to do.

Turns out, the answer to that gentle question positions me to continue to hear from God. How? I will continue to hear God’s voice as I release my white-knuckled grip on my plans and have open palms to receive His best. God can speak to you through His Word. It’s just that simple. When we spend time in God’s Word, we get to know His voice. And when we recognize His voice, we’ll know what He’s leading us to do. You can start hearing God’s voice.

There’s not some tricky method. Maybe, while worshiping Him through a song, someone comes to your mind, and you’re signaled to pray for them. It could be you have a brilliant idea, but instead of taking the credit yourself, you share it with others to encourage them. Or maybe, like me, you hear God’s voice changing, challenging, correcting, strengthening, and encouraging you as you read His Word daily.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24