What Are You (Not)
Doing this Labor Day Weekend?
Ok folks, time to plan ahead. We have a holiday weekend coming up, and for
most of us that means a little extra time off.
It is a golden opportunity to make a deposit in your spiritual wellness
bank, a deposit you will need to draw from in the future. It may be a day later or a month later, but
eventually, life is going to get stressful.
That is what life does.
The good news is that you have lots of options. There is a
growing body of research that provides data about the ways our bodies and our
spirits are renewed. Here are just a few of the things that have been proven to
increase our wellness:
- spend time outdoors;
- gather with good friends or family;
- de-clutter your house;
- rest;
- do something for someone else;
- worship;
- exercise;
- shut down the computer;
- play with your dog;
- laugh;
- pray
These are all great ideas, not only for a holiday weekend,
but for Sabbath in general. Sabbath is
that Judeo-Christian practice that emerged from the notion that even (and
because!) God rested on the seventh day, so should we. At the heart of Sabbath and spiritual
wellness is the idea that there is nothing more you have to do or be. As Walter Brueggemann writes in his excellent
book “Sabbath as Resistance”
On the Sabbath:
You do not
have to do more.
You do not
have to sell more.
You do not
have to control more.
You do not
have to know more.
You do not
have to have your kids in ballet or soccer.
You do not
have to be younger or more beautiful.
You do not
have to score more.
So be intentional about your spiritual wellness this Labor
Day Weekend. Make a plan, block the time, place the call, think ahead, phone
for a reservation, and generally do what you need to do (or not do) to make a
deposit in your spiritual wellness bank this weekend. It will not be wasted time.
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