At Just The Right Time

I don’t like meetings. So I usually don’t remember meetings. Yet there are a few meetings that I remember very well—one of which a staff planning day at my apartment a couple of months ago.

What I remember about the meeting was being excited to have company—making coffee, tea, snacks, and dessert—and cleaning everything very deeply before everyone’s arrival. I remember where everyone sat and I remember the things we discussed. I remember becoming emotional as we talked about the Human Exploitation Symposium and I realized just how closely pornography had impacted my life. I remember feeling drained after everyone left. And I remember the sunset that I watched and documented on Facebook in the hour that followed.

I never turned on the lights that night. I didn’t eat supper. I didn’t watch TV. I didn’t get online. After the sun set and night fell, I simply sat in the darkness and let the quiet surround me. I fell asleep in the stillness that night and awoke with the conviction and courage to write a note that has received more responses than anything else I’ve posted…

A dear friend of mine has treated Wednesday as her Sabbath for the past few months. A minister and thus busy on most weekends, she decided to make Wednesdays her days of rest and personal renewal—sleeping, cooking, baking, cleaning, and doing whatever else nourishes her soul…

Remembering that Wednesday night after staff planning day and following my friend’s cue, I’ve decided to make Wednesdays my Sabbath as well. Granted, I can’t work from home every Wednesday, and sometimes work or church or other activities will put me getting home later than others. But I want to try it—this break from media, electricity, the world’s rhythms, and outside noise—and I want to sit quietly with God—praying, reading, writing, making my own music, and doing whatever else nourishes my soul. I want to go to sleep when nature goes to sleep instead of prolonging my day with the demands of life. I want to rest in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to soften the edges and heal the hurts. I want to practice being over doing and breathe in life-giving breath. I want to give it a try and see what happens…because I have a feeling that it will be something beautiful—like the sunset I watched last night too...

I suppose I shouldn’t expect abnormal Thursdays after each Sabbath, yet last night’s Sabbath was followed by more powerful words that likely will not receive as many comments as my note from a few months back but that spoke to my spirit in a much needed way. From a belated birthday card in my mailbox, I read:
Today, I’m celebrating you…you and your generous heart. I can’t count how many times you’ve lightened my mood and lifted my spirit just by being your warm, accepting, wonderful self. You never judge, which is the most amazing thing. And of all your great quality, the non-judging thing is one of my favorites. That takes a huge amount of generosity and wisdom on your part. No wonder I find it so easy to relax around you, to say what I really think, to just be myself. So thank you for another year of being you. I hope your birthday brings a whole lot of good feelings back to you.

and)

Thanks for being a fabulous friend.

and)

From a message in my inbox, I heard these lyrics: Love don’t run, love don’t hide, it won’t turn away or back down from a fight… love’s too tough, it don’t give up…love don’t run.

And…well…at that point I wept…

And I realized that the love that I try to live and show through words and actions is noticed by the people around me…and…for that moment, for that one brief moment, my soul was at rest.

Thank you, God, for Sabbath moments. And thank you, too, for speaking to and ministering to us, your children, at just the right time. Amen.