I saw a quote floating around recently that I’ve seen circulated and recirculated for the better part of a decade. I’m sure you’ve seen this quote, too:
“Don’t just sit there, do something.”
I believe the writer (Unknown) meant for these words to empower, encourage, and motivate us to find our inner grit as we move forward with effort to get the job done.
But I also can’t shake the spirit of “hustle” it gives off and how culture uses such “motivation” to promote postures of “go, go, go” and “no days off.”
But as we read in Scripture, Sabbath invites us into completely different postures—postures that reflect lifestyles of “slow, slow, slow,” and “know days off.”
This way of life flips the quote right side up: “Don’t just do something, sit there.” [1]
Sit with silence (Psalm 4:4), stillness (Psalm 46:10), quiet surrender (Exodus 14:14), rest (Genesis 2:3), trust (Psalm 28:7), and beyond.
God knows that without continuous time away from the hustle, our lives will lose their focus and meaning. So He invites us into Sabbath and its ongoing times of rest and remembering what God has done.
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As you spend time with the prompts in today’s intermission, and as you explore the soul work of rest, don’t worry about doing and accomplishing, simply sit, be still, and be “there”—the sacred space with God’s presence in a place of Sabbath-Rest.
“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.” —Hebrews 4:9-10
—With Joy
Source: Sylvia Boorstein, American author, psychotherapist, and Buddhist teacher.
Pause for Thought
”The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Pause for Practice
Recite the following passage of scripture—taken from Psalm 46:10—in an ascending and descending order. Slowly move through each word, choosing to linger for as long as you’d like, savoring the meaning of each word. Notice where you linger the longest, and what resonates the deepest.
- Be still and know that I am God.
- Be still and know that I am.
- Be still and know.
- Be still.
- Be.
- Be.
- Be still.
- Be still and know.
- Be still and know that I am.
- Be still and know that I am God.
Pause for Contemplation
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of Yahweh, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’”
Source: The Oaks Center newsletter, 5 Ways to Take A Real Rest, August 28, 2023
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P.S. Rolling into Sabbath looks different for everyone. Just like this little guy, remember, however you show up, it’s the showing up that counts 😆 🤭 .
