I used to have a friend that always shared her stories with me as if I was familiar with the details. I would always have to stop her and say, “wait, who is so and so?” and on and on. I feel like I have done that a little bit with you when I mentioned letting our yeses be yes. To be frank, maybe in another time period or different circumstance, I would be quite the talker in real life, but now I am sometimes in my own head too much (one of the many reasons I write). My hubby is not a talker, and I find I tend to leave off more and more detail and just stay in my head, so please just leave me a comment so I will know if I sound looney. 🙂 Anyhow, I owe you a bit of an apology because a couple of you mentioned the part when I am saying no this year, so I’m thinking I may have left off some details. Lucky for us both as I already planned to explore this a little further in this post.
It has been in the midst of the busy, of the “yeses” that I knew that I had to say, “no.” I felt clearly in my spirit a sense that this year was my sabbath year or shmita. In the Old Testament, a shmita occurred every 7 years – no crops were to be planted or harvested and the land was to lay fallow. This is a Jewish practice still practiced today and the next Jewish shmita starts at the beginning of the next Rosh Hashanah (September 2014). It is sorta weird that my own on Sabbath year has coincided with this Jewish calendar year. I really am very inexperienced with this term and am still learning about it and conveying the small amount I know to you.
Surely, it was nice for the Israelites to have a rest period, but also it was trying not to do the work to produce the food – to purposefully not grow or harvest for a whole year, and depending on when Jubilee occurred possibly two years. It was a test of faith. Would God Himself come through? Would He provide all they needed for the coming year? And besides that, not doing the work of the land that you are so invested in? How did they use their time instead?
Science has taught us that letting the land lie fallow balances the soil nutrients, breaks up pest and disease cycles, and even increases water reserves in the soil. The disadvantages are soil erosion, soil organic matter depletion, and the soil saltiness can increase to where it becomes too salty and thus will not allow plants to grow.
While I believe simplicity to be a discipline that must be practiced continuously, when this year is over I cannot remain unhindered in shmita – that would be like saying I depend on grace but choose to remain in sin. Like the soil, I will be more nourished with truth and hopefully life water, and some sin will be broken up, but I don’t want to be blown away with self, hermited away depleting life instead of living it, or become too salty, or ineffective as a witness for Him. It is true that at the end of the year, I may find He calls me to a different ministry or place of service, but it will be important to be serving again.
Though technically I have just started this process, I am already finding my faith to be tested. Have you ever noticed in the ten commandments that really they all revolve around one command, the one that says, “I am the Lord your God?” The purpose of the Sabbath is really to set aside a whole day in devotion and remembrance of God. It is a day of rest, and if you’ve read Matthew 11:28-30 (will read further in another blog post), you know that true rest is dependent upon God and Jesus Christ. A Sabbath by its very nature is a weekly recommittal and dependence on God. The shmita takes that one step further and lays a whole year aside for God to replenish and rejuvenate your soul. I purposefully said no to things, and God is showing me the various natures of how I had grown dependent on them for my glory instead of His. I have limited experience with shmita, but it seems like something that would be good for us to practice regularly – a setting aside for Him.
What are your thoughts? Do you practice setting aside a Sabbath day of the week? Have you ever set aside a whole year for God? If so, what did you learn?
Photo Credit: Sharon Mollerus
This is a fabulous approach to life. I find that more and more and more I am saying no to thinks. I quit yet another Bible study this week. I’m just so tired. Trying to rest more and be more intentional with my son. Which means spending less time online, blogging less, reading less blogs, taking on fewer Bible studies, having fewer playdates, and much much more. Thank you so much for blogging about this. I am loving this series!
Thank you, Aprille! I find myself doing a lot of the same things.