If you know me, you can attest to the fact that I typically don’t sit still very well! I spent twenty-six years in the fast lane of Southern California. Our family served in a mega-church, helped to start a Bible college both on-ground and online, and lived 90 minutes from Disneyland!
In June 2021, we moved from California to Michigan. Intentionally, I put some measures in place to help me disconnect, refresh, recharge – in short, I took a personal sabbatical that lasted a little over three months. I drove John Deere tractors, visited family, visited churches, read books, and just spent time investing in my family. I traded the “fast lane” for “life in the slow lane.”
Here’s what I learned (and why I recommend seasons of rest for those involved in ministry):
Slow lanes provide a different perspective
My first twenty-six years of ministry sometimes seems like a blur. Two children are married, and three grandchildren are here. Our third child is in college, and two teens are working their way through high school.
The slow lane allowed me to find a rhythm of teaching our kids elementary Latin, spending time with them regularly in healthy life-conversations. Prior to the “slow lane” I was physically home almost every night, but not mentally present! Having a chance to reset provided a fresh perspective and an opportunity to reorient my priorities in a way that was more in line with a biblical worldview.
Slow lanes provide opportunities for personal growth
Because I’m wired as a type-A personality, I sometimes wonder if I could have been diagnosed as ADD as a child. I am wired to be goal-oriented, always pushing toward a new mountain, but rarely following the psalmist’s wisdom to “Be still and know that I am God.”
Even my Bible reading can be “attacked” with a type-A mentality. How many times can I read the Bible this year? Can I beat last year’s efforts? That’s not my focus at the moment. Granted, there are mornings when I start to feel a little anxious because “I’m behind” – but God is calming my spirit. I even drive slower! Because I’m not preparing for weekly lessons to give to others, I’m actually reading God’s Word for no one but me – and I know that’s basic Christianity! Nevertheless, to use McDonald’s slogan: “I’m lovin’ it!”
Slow lanes allowed me to be a “church member”
For twenty-six years, we arrived early to church and left late. We were staff, and Sunday is a ministry day. We loved it. We looked for new people, we looked for personal visitors we had invited, and we looked for faithful and struggling members from our class. We discipled between services, took groups out to eat, invited people to our home, and then turned around for the evening service to do it all over again.
Frankly, this was just “normal” – it was what our Sundays always were, and we knew no different. As we moved to Michigan and searched for our new church home, we were on the other side of that equation. We were the new faces in different places. We wondered if someone would greet us, would there be teens close in age to our children, was there a missions program, a place we can serve?
Taking intentional time to replenish allowed us to learn how to be just a church member and not be in “pastoral mode.” I’m trying to help encourage our new pastor not because I’m staff, but because I want to be a faithful church member.
Slow lanes aren’t permanent
Sabbaticals, by definition, aren’t permanent. They are temporary pauses to reset healthy rhythms, regain clarity on purpose, and recommit to God’s work. Our pastor asked us to wait a year before getting involved; it was good counsel – but we are glad to be reengaged in regular ministry opportunities.
Sometimes we can feel like God “needs” us – we’ll just rest in heaven…no time to stop and no rest for the weary. While this can sound spiritual, it’s not. Rather, it shows an improper understanding of Jesus’ methodology. He took time to rest. Let’s follow His example.
CONCLUSION
If you’ve been running non-stop for an extended season, pulling over into the slow lane isn’t a death sentence! Think of it more like a pit-stop in a Nascar race. If you don’t pull over for a few moments, you can’t finish your race!
We need the advantage of a fresh perspective, to provide opportunities for personal intake so we have resources to give out, and to experience church life as a church member from time to time. Jesus took His disciples apart to rest. He invites us to come to Him for rest.
None of this weakens a strong work ethic. Rather, it equips you to work longer with a sweet attitude. Not everyone can take three months for a sabbatical – could you start with two weeks? Take a week of family vacation and a week to replenish yourself spiritually?
Do it! You’ll be glad you did.