Finding Your Pace for a Grateful and Restful Sabbath

Are you tired, worn out, and need a break? There's an art to truly resting, and it starts with understanding the Sabbath. We've spent the past month discussing the Sabbath and, in this final episode, we're sharing how to prepare for a day of rest that truly rejuvenates you - physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Remember, this day of tranquility is not just a luxury, but a gift from our 'Daddy' - a day He set aside for us to rest and draw closer to Him.

How do you ensure the Sabbath is a rejuvenating experience? It's about figuring out your own personal rhythm, setting realistic plans, and effectively communicating with your family. An important part of this process is letting go of guilt associated with resting. Alongside, as we approach November, we're focusing on cultivating a spirit of gratitude and incorporating thankful prayers into our daily lives. This is a time to pause and appreciate all that we have. Join us, as we share resources to connect with God and learn more about Him. Let's make the most of our Sabbath's and truly recharge for the weeks ahead.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:20

Hi and welcome to the Chair Up podcast. I am your host, kara Arha, and with me is my lovely friend and sister, because we have the same father, the same spiritual father, the good father. Father, I'm the Sherry's wall. Well, how are you today?

Speaker 2: 0:40

Sherry, I am doing fantastic and you know that could be the plot of a new book. If you hadn't said the father, father, it would be like, hmm, yeah, right.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Interesting. We need to know the background here. Are you sure they're?

Speaker 2: 1:02

just friends, or how are they really sisters?

Speaker 1: 1:06

Right, yeah, they refer to sisters a lot. Oh wait, they have the same father Scandalous.

Speaker 2: 1:15

We'll work better than the rest of us, right.

Speaker 1: 1:19

Oh, my goodness, good day everyone, and again, welcome to the Chair Up podcast. If you'd like to know more about the the uh commentary just made regarding the Young and the Rest List, then please listen to last week's episode. This month's series is not about the Young and the Rest List and it is not about soap operas or anything like that, but it is about Sabbath and, believe it or not, we were able to use that soap opera as an example. It's in a in a particular situation that we were discussing on last week's episode. So, if you want that, just please go back and listen to it.

Speaker 1: 2:10

This is the final episode for the month that we are going to be discussing the Sabbath, um, and it's been really, really fun, fun. And you know what, though? Uh, just thinking about the Young and the Rest List, the Sabbath is perfect as we continue to discuss. The Sabbath is perfect for the Young and the Old and definitely the Rest List. Okay, so just using those terms is definitely for those who are Young, old anywhere in between, and those who are, and definitely those who are, rest List it is. If you're, if you meet any of that criteria, then you're a perfect candidate for the uh. Uh, just enjoying a true biblical Sabbath. So did I say all that? Right, sherry?

Speaker 2: 3:03

You said that perfectly, absolutely perfectly. I love it.

Speaker 1: 3:07

Yay and so, and that's what we're going to do, we're continuing that and, um, and I'm still giggling on the inside Uh, who did she say? You know, uh, oh, you know, uh, if I hadn't said father, father, how that could have been. That may be another episode, like, okay, I'm good to say this and I, you know it's. You know what, sherry, I this is awesome because and all of you guys are hearing the brainstorming live and if we actually do do a recording on this, then you guys will say hey, we heard that first. It was in October. I actually think we should do a series, sherry, on who's your daddy. What do you think? Oh, I love it, I love it. Yeah, daddy has been big D, as in big G, god, as in the father, the holy father. We we're not getting into anything salacious, uh, you know anything like that, but just a reminder of who our daddy is. Right, Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 4:12

You know, I think that that is perfect, a perfect reminder. We need those reminders all the time. That's what helps keep us centered, that's what helps keep us grounded and that's what helps build our faith.

Speaker 1: 4:25

Absolutely, and sometimes we just need to be reminded like wait, what? What am I worrying about? Did I forget who my father was, you know? Did I forget everything that he's done for me? Like I don't have to worry about anything? You know, that is definitely something that we may actually uh, as the Lord leads, may do something. So, but before we start today and finish our episode series on the Sabbath, ask yourself your bad question who's your daddy? So that's the answer and I'm done. Time for you to start, sherry.

Speaker 2: 5:01

I absolutely love that. We have been talking about the Sabbath this whole month and we're finishing today in a roundabout way. So I had alluded to last week that the best way to prepare for something or the best way to enjoy something is to be prepared. My mom is like the epitome of organization. Like I look at their house and I think how in the heck is she able to just keep everything running so smoothly? And it's because she has these systems in place and they work a little bit every day on certain things. They don't let stuff go to the point where they're. You know it's overly messy or overly cluttered or overly whatever. And I wish I had that gene. Even though I'm biologically her child, I do not have that gene.

Speaker 1: 5:53

I don't know what it is.

Speaker 2: 5:56

God did not gift me with that ability, but one of the ways that everybody, whether you're gifted with that ability, gifted with that gene or not, one of the ways that you can work on making your Sabbath the best ever, is to prepare a little bit ahead of time, and that's what today's topic is going to be about. It's called finding your pace, and so we're talking about if God has blessed us with the ability to only work five days a week, four days a week, whatever it is, whatever he has designed for your life, your particular schedule, your particular personality, your particular job, how can you prepare so that you have that Sabbath day where you can rest? Because we talked about resting as spiritual, physical, mental and emotional. Well, you're not resting very well if you have a cluttered house and you're the type of person that can't stand clutter, and so you're looking around.

Speaker 2: 6:55

I'm supposed to be resting, I'm supposed to be resting. I'm supposed to be resting, I can't rest. Look at this, look at this. I need to do this, I need to do that. The laundry hasn't been done, the lunches hasn't been made. School starts tomorrow, my work starts tomorrow. I have these huge business meetings back to back to back.

Speaker 1: 7:09

How am I supposed to rest I?

Speaker 2: 7:11

can't rest. So how do you prepare yourself? How do you live a lifestyle that is conducive, that is inviting, that is open and welcoming your Sabbath? So that's where finding your pace comes in. So Kara and I had a really, really great conversation and I want to take care of it. It was like a year ago, because I think it was in the fall of 2022. I can't believe that we're in 2023 anyway.

Speaker 2: 7:40

Sorry, rabbit Trail, we had a conversation because you and I were both feeling overwhelmed, weighted down, distressed to the max and a friend of ours I say that loosely because we had her as a guest on our show, so I like to consider her a friend too, but she's more of your friend simply because I still kind of think of her. She's a best-selling author, so I'm like still in all of her because her books are amazing and she's not that she's a superstar status in my opinion, but she's very approachable and very nice. But she's definitely friend level with you and I would like to say friends level, want to be with me. Anyway, you were having a conversation with her and you were talking to her about, or she was talking to you about finding your pace. So that's what we're talking about today.

Speaker 2: 8:41

So how can you prepare? How can you live a life and it doesn't have to be perfect by any means. Heaven knows that in this season that I'm in right now, there are more balls that I am dropping than I am juggling wealth, so it doesn't have to be perfect by any means. So what can you do to prepare so that you can enjoy and take your Sabbath off guilt-free, mentally relaxing, physically relaxing, all of the above? So for me, I have had to learn, and this is another thing that my pastor taught us.

Speaker 2: 9:18

We were in, I was in a leadership class. I went to it with my son we both are in ministry and so in the leadership class he was telling us and I'm telling you this, like took the weight off of me. He said you will never have a clean desk, meaning you will never have tasks and jobs and things to do off of your to-do list. You're always going to have a never ending to-do list. You will never get it all accomplished, ever. And he wasn't saying it in a mean way, he wasn't saying it in a bad way, he was just being honest. He's like the sooner you learn that and the sooner you learn how to let go and walk away, the sooner you'll or the longer you'll live, because if you try to finish your to-do test or your to-do list, you're going to die before it gets finished. It's just the way it is.

Speaker 2: 10:06

Like that's the way ministry is, that's the way sometimes life is, and so I have learned to push away, despite the fact that I still have X, y and Z you have to do. I have big list, I have little list and I have weekly list. I don't even get and daily list. I don't even get everything done on my weekly list, on my daily list, and I'm okay with that. Now I get done what God wants me to get done and I push away with the rest. Yesterday, I got absolutely nothing done that I needed to get done. I only was able to work for other people. I still pushed away, and we had talked about this earlier in this series. I still pushed away and I still went and chose to read a book instead of get more to do on my to-do list. There was always today to do it. There's the rest of the week to do it. I'm not going to kill myself by trying to get it all done at one time Another way that we need to find our place.

Speaker 2: 11:12

Another way that that happens is through figuring out how much we can logistically realistically, for our personality, do in a week. So Kara will talk about what works for her. But for me, with writing fiction, I have one day, one day a week, to write fiction. Because of everything else that I have on my plate and on my other responsibilities, I have one day. So in that day I need to get, if I'm lucky, between 5,000 and, if it's a really good day, 10,000 words written in one day. That rarely happens. Most of the time I'm averaging around 3,000. And you know what? I have to be okay with that because that is logistically in this season what I'm able to do. So that means that my stuff getting done a little bit longer or taking a little bit longer to do than that, so be it, that's what it is right now in this season.

Speaker 2: 12:14

But last year I know I'm probably driving people nuts by talking continually about how I was burned out and I had no creativity. I had like nothing, so I didn't write the whole summer. I had nothing to write nothing. And then it come fall. I thought I was going to start and so I pressured myself and that doesn't work. And so I hadn't started writing, I don't think, until probably November or December. So I really felt behind the eight fall. But God is the redeemer of time. I needed to be with my family. I needed to put other things as a priority during that phase in my life, during that season in my life, and God gave me two Fridays in a row where I wrote 10,000 words. Like I said, it's unheard of for me, and so I wrote like a quarter to a third well, probably more, like I don't know a little less than a quarter of the book into. He redeemed so much time that I wrote a significant chunk of the book in two Fridays.

Speaker 2: 13:27

Two it was in a two weeks worth of time, and because of that, those are those supernatural blessings that we were talking about all year.

Speaker 2: 13:35

I mean all month, where God will take something. He'll take our obedience and he will supernaturally bless us, and so that's what keeps me going. Now I have like one scene left to write of this one particular book that I'm working on and I wanted to get it all done last week and I didn't, and you know what I had to say. That's okay, god, you let me get done what you did, you let me get done and you're going to let me get done what I need to the next time. So his timing is perfect and that's where we kind of need to find our pace, what works best for us. So we're not stressing out.

Speaker 2: 14:12

I think that the 10,000, even 5,000 to 10,000 words a week is was putting unrealistic expectations on myself.

Speaker 2: 14:22

I need to stick more with that and be happy with 3,000 words a week, and that's okay, because that's where I'm at in this season, in this stage of my life. I have devotionals that I'm writing for the or mini devotionals that I'm writing for the membership, and I have 18 of them to do and God is helping me get them written faster than I could even imagine and that is the way, or I believe that that is because I'm observing the Sabbath. I'm doing it his way and I'm writing and working at the pace that works well for me, that keeps my creativity going, that makes it so I'm not so tired physically that I am not sitting at my desk for too long, all of those things. So it's finding your pace and asking God to help you find your pace, because what if you're like I was when Kara gave me this pep talk and she told me you know, I learned all this from my friend and I've been implementing it and it's huge. It worked so well for me and I was like changing.

Speaker 2: 15:28

Yeah, yeah, and I'm like I don't even know where to begin. I don't even know where to start with finding my pace. So I asked God, and he's the one that directed it and made it, so that it was attainable for me and peaceful, like you said. It's not just life changing, but it's peaceful. So what about you, kara?

Speaker 1: 15:52

Yeah, the thing, what she has shared with us, with me, when I was talking with her about it no-transcript she was, you know because I was just like how do you do it all? Because she's a best-selling author, she travels a lot, you know, on every, and she has children and a spouse and just recently we had to locate and I'm just like, how in the world do you get it done? How do you do all of this? And you know, just a summarizer, she was just saying find your pace. Like I do everything fast, right, she's like it's just who I am, that's my pace, she's like, but that might not be yours, you know.

Speaker 1: 16:32

And that's a summary of a little bit summary of our conversation. And, like Sherry said, it's all about finding your pace, your own personal pace. And the reason we say personal pace is because the things that Sherry having her life, that she has to deal with on a daily basis, is not the same that I would have in my life, that I would need to deal with on a daily basis, and vice versa, right, because she has a different family dynamic, a different work dynamic, a different writing dynamic and everything that I do, and just different life dynamics. So, and not to mention different personalities and different things. It's like so it has to be what works for you, not everybody else, but you and I remember a couple of years ago I remember I was at a regular routine doctor visit and she's like my goodness, like your stress is off the charts, like I want to do some. There's some testing that needs to be done to make sure that you know you're okay and to just fast forward a couple of weeks after all these testing, you know things were done, it realized, you know, praise the Lord, everything was fine. So then they say, okay, then it's a lifestyle issue. What? Pretty much Like what are you? What is it that's going on in your life that's causing all of this? And I really had to take a deep look at that and I'm going it's not.

Speaker 1: 18:07

I don't have really any outside stressors, meaning it wasn't like I was having issues with my spouse or my children or even external family or immediate family members, so it wasn't like any of that. I worked for myself. So it wasn't like I had a boss that was, like you know, pressuring me to do more, more, more, more, more. You know, I think it's like that. So I'm like what is it Like, and I really had to do some self-evaluation and internalization and prayer and I realized I was putting a lot of stress on myself. It wasn't other people who were doing it, it was me.

Speaker 1: 18:52

I, like Sherry mentioned, you're busy, we're busy, we're busy. People, right, just like a lot of our listeners are that are listening to us. We have busy lives. So that wasn't an anomaly, right? What was the anomaly was that I obviously was not handling it well. It needed to be managed better. And to me, that was where the conundrum was, because I'm like, okay, well, how do you even do that? Because I got this going on, I got that, this, this, this, this, this, you know, and that conversation with our friend really helped me just kind of, you know, with God, and that just he really spoke to me due to the words that she was encouraging me with and I was able to find that pace.

Speaker 1: 19:34

Is my life less busy? No, if anything, it's more busy, since I had that, you know, probably had that conversation with her. But I'm less stressed because I have learned to just pace myself in a pace that works for me and I think the number one key, sherry, has been I don't feel guilty for resting. I no longer feel guilty for resting. I no longer am like, oh, you should be doing something, you know, or something like that, because that's what got me into trouble in the first place, and that type of stress leads to health issues and to you slaying. It's like I don't have time for that. Okay, it's like not because. Yeah, not because like, oh, I want to read this great novelist or something like that. No, because I don't want to get so overwhelmed and so overburdened with things and how to handle those things that I'm not about God's business and I can't hear him, right. And so it's like, and it's all about finding that pace, and for me it was breaking everything down into categories and setting realistic goals for them. Not goals that you know, there was so pie in the sky that I knew, when I wrote them down with pen and paper, that there's no way I was going to reach them. You know it was like, no, I just had I had to set realistic goals. And you know what, when I started doing that, I started exceeding those goals, and that not even intentionally, it just happened.

Speaker 1: 21:09

And what you do is you spread things out to the best of your ability. And I know with some people's jobs, especially if it's a brick and mortar job, you may not necessarily have that ability right, cause you may be understaffed. There may be like a huge project or merger or something on and you have to put in extra hours. But it's all about managing that time well and communicating, and I think that's one thing with the Sabbath, especially when you say you know what, I'm going to use this particular day as my Sabbath.

Speaker 1: 21:42

It's the best day of the week where I can really just make it a hard thing and not say I'm scratching it off my list as communicate with your family and let them know if Thursday's is going to be your day of Sabbath because you have the, you know the other days just will not realistically work. Then let them know in advance and say hey, guys, you know what, I really just want to observe my Sabbath and for me it's going to be on Thursdays. So if there's anything you need me to do any appointment, you need me to make anything, you need me to pick up anything, you know that I have to do that, you know. Can you let me know so that I can stretch it out over the other weeks and that way I know not to make an appointment for you guys, like on a Thursday or you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 22:33

So it's all about communicating and letting them know well in advance that this is what you're doing, because you want them to not only honor excuse me, you want them to not only respect your Sabbath time, but honor it right, because it's helping you which in turn helps them. They may not see it right away, but it does and it's like and it keeps you mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally healthy. There's no sense stressing ourselves out. Like I mentioned to Sherry before, sometimes I will be walking and I'm like because I was always thinking about the next thing that needed to be done. It was like a railroad train that would come down the tracks. You know, when I wake up in the morning it was not a long, peaceful, quiet morning, it was okay, my eyes are open and then the train was stored and it would start just roaring down the tracks really, really fast, steam coming out, the engine and everything.

Speaker 1: 23:32

And I realized I had to change that. Like I can only work on today, tomorrow, as the scriptures remind us, we'll take care of itself. I try to isolate the things that I've learned, to isolate the things that I can get, what needs to be done today, and then separate the needs from what can I realistically get done today, and things for tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day. I worry about them at that time or not worry. I try to conquer them at that time and not waking up just automatically thinking about what do I have to do? Oh, my goodness, this day is already, you know, because it starts your day off wrong and you're not at peace.

Speaker 1: 24:16

And I've changed my morning routine to include that and I was always walking really fast because I was always thinking my mind was focused on the next thing instead of just enjoying the moment. Just enjoying the moment. I don't care if it's a walk down a hallway, enjoy it, take it in. Are the birds chirping? Are you hearing rain patter against the roof? Is the wind blowing? Is there something? Are you walking past a bouquet of flowers that someone gave you? You know just as the room smell really, really nice because you just cleaned it the other day, or you're doing laundry. Just take a deep breath and slow down.

Speaker 1: 24:59

And sometimes I have found out that I, just because I've been just walking super fast for the longest, I actually have to stop and just I'll be in the middle of walking somewhere and it may just be go get my eyeglasses or a cup of water out the other room and I'm like I'm walking fast again and I just stop. I just stop and I just take in my surroundings, whatever it may be, wherever I'm at, I just take in my surroundings for about 30 seconds and then continue to just move on. And especially in regards to the Sabbath, god would tell those stuff like that into your spirit. He would give you that golly wisdom and strength to let you know what you need to do to be able to function in the best way that he designed you to function, do you?

Speaker 2: 25:51

agree with that, Sherry, Amen. And when you're honoring your Sabbath and you're preparing for the Sabbath, don't apologize. Oh, absolutely Like the Jewish people and the people that I know of that honor the Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. They wake up Friday morning excited about it and they do the whole preparation. Find your peace too. They prepare all day long for a chance to have that 24 hour communion, rest with God. So start to look at it that way. Finding your peace again is not a punishment. Finding your peace is to bring you life and to help you live your life to the fullest, not to make your life miserable.

Speaker 1: 26:43

So it can actually save your life.

Speaker 2: 26:46

Exactly exactly as we have learned, tying it all back into the very first one, koukashobi. And I know I'm not saying that right. I am so, kerochi, but I still don't think I'm saying that right, so I apologize. I'm really sorry. My pronunciations leave a lot to be desired.

Speaker 2: 27:09

Trust me, but as we learned from week one, working overtime and overworking and stressing our body in ways that they're not meant to be stressed is not healthy in any way, shape or form physically, mentally, emotionally or physically Sorry, physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. So, as we wrap it up today, take the finding your peace as a gift from God as well. Take the preparation. Like Kera said, breathe in If you hear the birds, if you smell the flowers, if you just enjoy the face of a loved one. Take it all in, like God gave us this life to enjoy, not to be lazy, not to waste it, not to be selfish about it, which we're gonna talk about all of that next month. Self-care what does it mean publicly versus society or cultures, view of it, but take it all in. God blessed us with so much. We could have had a boring, black and white, gray life. And God said no, I'm gonna give you vibrant colors, I'm gonna give you smells A thousand trillion billion smells, pace, textures, things to touch, things to feel Like.

Speaker 2: 28:35

How many emotions did God give us to experience? Obviously, he doesn't want us in a black and white, two-toned, one-dimensional life. He wants us to experience it all. So that's gonna be your challenge for this week. This week, I want you to experience a life. I want you to slow down enough. Ask God to help you find your pace. Slow down enough to where you are tasting everything when you're eating your meal. You are enjoying every aspect of your meal.

Speaker 2: 29:14

When you're with your loved ones, put your phone down and have a conversation with them eye to eye. When you're outside, smell the. I think there's still flowers at the end of October not as many, but there are still some. The smell of the flowers. Actually, my favorite smell around this time is leaves burning. Oh, I love bonsai leaves burning.

Speaker 2: 29:40

But apple orchard smells so amazing, pumpkin smells so amazing. I mean, there's just so many things for us to take in, and that's part of learning how to rest and learning how to truly enjoy the Sabbath. It's thanking God. That's another thing, and that's a great way to end this series. Another thing that my pastor encouraged us to do, and that is to take the Sabbath, do things on the Sabbath to where you're continually on the tip of your tongue saying thank you God, thank you for the family that I get to spend time with today, thank you for these books that I get to read.

Speaker 2: 30:19

Thank you for this nature walk that you've allowed me to have. Thank you for the quiet time so I can hear your voice. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for my house, thank you for my clothes, thank you for providing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So what a better way to care to usher into November, the month of Thanksgiving, than to have that earnic gratitude.

Speaker 2: 30:42

So so many challenges for you today. Good challenges, challenges that I enjoy. I myself am going to be working on that as well. I'm going to slow down, I'm going to savor and, if I remember, I will talk about it next week when we start talking about self-care. So if you need prayer or encouragement, I'd like you to email us at cheerapodcastgmailcom. Join our community Facebook group. We would love to build community with you too.

Speaker 2: 31:13

Head over to CARES website, careahuntcom or sherryswallwellcom. You can check out all the different things there. There's tools and resources of how you also can become a Christ follower. We want to welcome you into the family. We want you to experience all that life has to offer through the relationship with Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2: 31:34

And if you need help with your relationship with God, if you don't know where to start, if you're kind of feeling a stag mended, if you're like I know I'm supposed to read the Bible, I know I'm supposed to do this, I know I'm supposed to do that, but I just don't know where to start or I just just don't like it, come over, check out the Jesus and the Everyday Membership, and that is a great way to help you jumpstart your day and jumpstart your relationship with our Heavenly Father. So, on that note, I hope that you'll do the challenge. Join us on the Facebook group and tell us how it's going, or email us if you want to be more personal about it, and we will talk to you next week as we start the new series on self care.