You may (or more likely may not) recall a post I wrote a little before Easter last year about Shabbat which is the Jewish word for Sabbath. (If you don’t recall, you can certainly find it HERE and might be worth another read especially if you enjoy the art of looking back like I do.) In fact, with the intentions of creating more rest for my soul during a season of complete hurry and distraction in late 2019/early 2020, “Shabbat” became my word for the year of 2020.
Then coronavirus, work furloughs, schooling at home, masks and isolation became our reality. My plan for the leading of my heart toward rest was completely taken out of my hands. In fact ALL of our plans seemed to be taken out of our hands. While we have all tried to form new routines and let this pandemic be a lesson to us, this idea of cultivating rest and steering away from the snares of hustle has personally been at the top of my list.
The gift of a book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer and the discovery of the Fight Hustle, End Hurry podcast on the subject has been further defining this goal for me recently. It has taken this long, friends, but finally for the last 2 weekends, I have intentionally put my phone away from sundown on Saturday to sundown on Sunday in search of rest and worship. While I am by no means an expert at Sabbath, a few of the highlights of the last two weekends have been uninterrupted and un-distracted (I think I made that word up) time with my family, sweet fellowship around the table with good friends, corporate worship with a family (Ohana) of believers and refreshment for my soul.
I know that the demands of our schedule may pick up again and I am still very much in process concerning the parameters of this 24 hour period. My heart is to be faithful in this gift of Sabbath that was commanded of us so long ago, even if it means baby steps. I know for certain this Sabbath will not consist of anything I consider to be work and my use of technology will be significantly limited. I would ask for your prayers and accountability as I continue to pursue this rest that my soul SO needs.
I would love to hear about and pray for you as you seek to take the lessons and challenges of the last year to make your core (heart, soul and mind) stronger.
Pinked Update
As anyone that has received a Pinked Mastectomy or Non-Mastectomy kit knows, each item in the kit is intentional, and several of the items are designed and hand-sewn based on the firsthand knowledge of what recovery from treatment looks like. This would not be possible without the help of avid Pinked supporter and founder of Stitches of Kindness, Wendy Preslan.
Stitches of Kindness is a non-profit organization that supports our community by providing masks and other hand-sewn items to those in need and was founded as a result of the pandemic when masks and face-coverings were in short supply and high demand. Since its inception, Stitches of Kindess has been able to provide thousands of facemasks to local hospitals, nursing homes, urgent care centers, doctors offices, family and friends. We are so thrilled and grateful that Wendy has expanded her generosity and has partnered with Pinked. Each of our kits now include cloth masks, seat belt pillows, flannel wraps, and more!
As her organization continues to grow, Wendy is interested in having some younger helping hands in the workroom to assist with cutting fabrics and other tasks. If you are local to the Annapolis area and you have a teen with a heart for serving, we’d love to link you up with Wendy!
We have updated our Amazon WishList this month to include specific supplies helpful to Wendy’s efforts. Thank you Wendy for all that you do to support our Pinked Warriors!