A Year of Sabbaths (Week 51): Pulling on Pants

(Photo by Emily Lucima, www.freeimages.com #1188207)

My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat, 

and my mouth praises Thee with joyful lips, 

when I think of Thee upon my bed, 

and meditate on Thee in the watches of the night;

for Thou hast been my help, 

and in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy.

My soul clings to thee; Thy right hand upholds me. 

(Psalm 63:1-5)

I have a hazy memory of pulling on my mother's pant leg in the grocery store.  I must have been very little because I was eye-level with my mother's shoes and the lower half of her pant leg. I was absolutely convinced I had found her and, because I needed her attention in the cereal aisle, I tugged.  Unfortunately, these were not my mother's pants!  I was mortified and ran away, but I didn't stop.  I kept on pulling on pant leg after pant leg and eventually I found my mother. We connected, and I was so happy!

The same is true of our relationship with God.  There are different pant legs that we can pull on to connect.  Sometimes it is singing praises "with joyful lips".  Sometimes it is thinking about God "on my bed", reading His Word and meditating on God "in the watches of the night", perhaps with a good book.  Sometimes it is giving thanks for God's help when we "rested in the shadow of thy wings".  Sometimes it is one thing. Sometimes it is another.  

Last week, for me, it was attending a leadership conference for business professionals hosted by Willow Creek  Community Church.(www.willowcreek.com/summit). 

To me, it sounded like death. I'm not a business professional and I didn't want to go and I certainly 

didn't want to pay.  However, a good friend was so excited about going that he went on and on about 

how awesome and life-changing this conference had been for him in years past that I didn't feel like I 

could let him down and say, "No."  Furthermore, my wife was going  and I thought that at least it would

be fun to spend two days with her. So I stopped what I was doing, paid my fee, took two vacation

days, and went.  

One of the things that I have been learning about Sabbath is that stopping is only the beginning.  In this

case, stopping meant that I had pulled the pant leg of God.  We connected in ways that were brand new

to me and I was so happy!

Let me be clear. This wasn't the normal way I connected with God.  Usually, I find reading a good book

or attending worship, or listening to music, or kayaking connects me to God.  But, in listening to 

executives of major companies, pastors of giant churches, a prison warden, a CPA, and a comedian, I 

found that God was speaking deep into my heart and I was feasting as with "marrow and fat".  It was 

rich and I am still processing what took place in that encounter.

The Psalmist sings, "My soul clings to thee; they right hand upholds me." I've always known that. Now, 

I have felt it.  It's real and I want more of it. And it all starts with stopping...and sometimes pulling a few

pant legs.

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.