Sabbatical Reflection: Rhythms of Rest
Anyone who knows me well would say that I deeply value rest, but that my value of rest is much more ideological than it is practical. It’s really my biggest “do as I say, not as I do” soapbox. I constantly tell my team and my family that rest is critical, that we must order our lives around rhythms that acknowledge our finitude, but given the opportunity, I would never be still or silent, I would always be producing, and I would always be working and learning.
I’m so grateful that God designed rhythms of rest into creation. In every 24 hour cycle, we are designed to need sleep. In every seven day cycle, we are directed to take Sabbath. In each 12 month cycle, winter urges us to slow, and creation around us shrinks and lets go to grow deeper roots in order to bear better fruit in the spring. All around us we see cycles of rest, but the 24/7 culture of today resists rest in every way imaginable. Rest is so counter-cultural, it sometimes feels irresponsible or even weak. That’s exactly why I think practicing rest is so formative. It reminds us that we are not in control, and that we are, in fact, finite, and that we are not able to cultivate a flourishing life by simply being productive.
I returned to work in mid-February after an eight-week sabbatical, and it’s hard to express how formative my time away was. I did a lot over the eight weeks– a lovely combination of leisure and deep rest – but the most transformative thing was a silent retreat I took over a weekend at the Ignatius House. A total commitment to silence over 72 hours was revolutionary for me. Not speaking was difficult enough, but I was frankly unnerved over the first few hours with no music, podcasts, background noise– no phone, barely any clocks. The number of times my thoughts wandered back to my kids' nap schedules or work, and even the number of times in 72 hours I instinctively reached for my phone (which I left intentionally in my car) was astounding. The opportunity to detox from constant production and information was incredibly healing, and I have committed to bringing smaller rhythms of silence into my daily routines.
I am abundantly grateful to be back at work, and I am showing up with the reminder (which I think we all need so often) that my identity is rooted in the Imago Dei and that work is a form of worship. I’m incredibly excited about the season ahead for Untold, and feel lucky to be a part of this corner of God’s big story. My prayer for 2026 is that I bury the lessons of rest deep in my heart and habits, and that my family, team, and you can all experience deep rest in small and big ways this year.
“[I]n our own time and place, [avoiding God] is extremely easy. Avoid silence, avoid solitude, avoid any train of thought that leads off the beaten track. Concentrate on money, status, health and (above all) on your own grievances. Keep the radio on. Live in a crowd. Use plenty of sedation . . .” – C.S. Lewis
