A Sabbatical Lifestyle

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…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Culturally in China, times of rest are rarely built into the rhythm of life. Church and ministry leaders can find themselves after many years experiencing burn out, exhaustion, or even on the brink of falling into depression.

One co-worker has made a core part of his ministry to come alongside men and women who need spiritual refreshment and counsel them in what it means to live a sabbatical life with God.

Another partner shares how they are learning to cultivate this sabbatical life and how it has brought their ministry closer to the heart of God:

I have been in ministry since 2007. I had committed full-time to serving God through an organization. Under the cultural influences of showing love through action, I always believed that the more I was doing for God, the more that I loved Him. I felt guilty or self-condemned if I took a break. It felt that my schedule had to be full all the time, and I always needed to respond to people’s needs if I was aware of them. I was living under this slave mindset for at least eight or nine years. I was really broken and exhausted. In 2014, I came to a point where I was tempted to give up serving Him.

In 2015, my mentor strongly felt that the Lord wanted me to take a break from ministry. Due to many months of struggles and hurts, I finally agreed. So I took five months off. During that time I was able to focus on resting, reading, and being alone with the Father. My mentor helped me process my hurts. At the same time, I was connecting with different ministry platforms and being served by them.

By the end, I realized how badly I had mismanaged my time. My ministry obligations went before the Father. I had worshiped ministry over God. I had let unhealthy emotions control me so much. I didn’t know how unhealthy I was till I took that sabbatical. So I confessed and processed hurts while learning to be healed by Him emotionally..

I felt that five months for me was a huge transition for my life. I probably would have given up serving a long time ago if I didn’t take that break. I learned a lot of lessons within that period of time. A mentor had told me right before I returned to China, “that everything I have learned would be tested.” When I consider the past four or five years, I have discovered he was right. Learning to have a new lifestyle in this nation is completely against the culture. We face a lot of challenges or pressure, but we need to press on just because it is the right and healthy thing.

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Today, I feel that my ministry is more effective and less stressful. I can take breaks if I need to, and I am learning to prioritize Him over ministry or people. I love to read and spend time with Him, not because I need to prepare for anything, but just simply to spend time with Him. I want to learn from Him and draw from His love. I can feel that I am a lot more relaxed and gracious now. I even have friends tell me that I am more patient than before. I am not as pushy.

I am still learning to have an even healthier sabbath lifestyle. It’s not a natural habit yet because I am constantly tempted or expected by the culture to fall back to the old ways. But He is in control. After my experiences, my heart now feels for those leaders who are broken and burnt out because I know what that feels like. The past four years, I have been spending more and more time serving the broken and wounded lives.

I believe everyone needs to have a healthy sabbath lifestyle, putting Him first in everything we do. He is the source for all our needs. We are not the ones who meet people’s needs. We are His children, not His slaves.

Pray with us that ministry leaders in China will cultivate this sabbatical lifestyle:

Pray that believers experience times of being overwhelmed by God's love and pleasure.

Pray for seasons of worship.

Pray that resting with their family becomes a loving, joyful priority under God.

Pray for believers in China to embrace their identity and position as God’s precious sons and daughters.

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