As Christmas draws near, I’m hearing many comment on how weary & tired they’re feeling. So I’ve been reflecting upon rest & in particular the Sabbath rest.

What is the Sabbath rest? You may ask…

Well we’ll explore this question & see how choosing to enter this special rest can benefit us in ways we may not have been previously aware.

But before we do let’s grab our cuppa’s & get comfy. I’m having a change from tea today & have a Caramel Coffee latte accompanied by a homemade gf Apricot & almond slice…both delicious!

Ready? 

Making this personal…

Back in 2011 my declining health forced me into what I thought at the time would be a short unpaid Sabbatical ~ meaning a time of rest & recuperation from professional life.

I had thought that after a period of rest & recuperation that I would be able to return to my career as the regional Counsellor for Adolescents & their families, which I absolutely loved.

However, sadly this was not to be, for over the past twelve years I’ve had to come to terms with what I thought were acute conditions (short term) were in actual fact chronic conditions (long term).

Thus, what started as a short  Sabbatical from professional life has become a permanent one. 

So am I living the Sabbath Rest? Let’s explore what this actually means…

What is the Sabbath Rest?

The following scripture describes this as;

“ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. 

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest…”

Hebrews 4: 8-11 NIV

So what does this entail? Does it mean just resting on the ‘Sabbath’ or does it mean so much more then this?

It means both, for when we come to know Jesus as our personal Lord & Saviour we can choose to enter the Sabbath rest.

It also means that we can choose to cease from our works as Psalm 46: 10 tells us;

“Let go and be still, and know (recognise and understand) that I am God…”

You see so often we get it wrong & run around doing our “works for God”, entirely missing that we need to trust in being still with Him.

Which is His greatest desire, for scripture tells us that we were created for fellowship with the Father & His Son, Jesus Christ.

The following scripture highlights this;

“God is faithful, and through Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Cor 1:9 

Letting Go…

You see to fully enter this Sabbath rest we need to consciously let go of the things that we have been hanging onto. But may not be aware that we are doing so.

Things like hanging onto past seasons that are now over & gone.

For me it was my professional life, as each year since this Sabbatical started I had faithfully kept up my Professional Development for clinical currency & annual professional registration, expecting to return to work at any moment. However, I came to realise I needed to release it to the Lord & retire.

Or it may be things like giving over that position at work, church, ministry or even in our families. As shared in; Do you jump in where Angels fear to tread?

It may be letting go of things like, for a want of a better word, baggage that often we don’t realise we have been carrying (or parts there of) from past painful experiences, hurts or traumas that God actually wants to complete the healing.

And He can only do this when we choose to let go of the things that have been weighing us down. You may enjoy reading,  A Journey to Healing.

And you know what? Sometimes, just sometimes we can actually cling onto those painful experiences, hurts & traumas! Why?

I know this may seem a complete contradiction in terms, even madness to hang onto painful experiences. But they may well have become a known travelling companion (it’s what we know) & letting go may actually seem very scary indeed (because it’s the unknown)!

For without them we actually don’t know what life would be like. I saw this many times in clinical practice.

However, the following scripture comes to mind;

“Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of the past. 

Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming.

Do you not see it?…”

 Isaiah 43: 18 & 19 

You see God wants to do something new in our lives & hanging onto the past can actually cause us to miss that ‘something new’.

A new season

An example of this was back in 2017 when I was becoming more & more aware that God had something new for me & it was made clear that it was to enter this blogging world.

But if I had clung rigidly to only focusing on professional development, ignoring God’s prompts to begin this rather unknown journey at the time, then I would have missed this season with its precious friendships.

So I am very grateful that I have indeed entered this Sabbath rest.

Now it’s your turn my friend…what are you hanging onto that you need to give over to God to experience the new thing in your life?

Until next time,

Jennifer

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

Or in Prayer

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© 2023 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Kampus Productions on Pexels.com

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