Ways I Encountered God During My Sabbatical (and Key Lessons Learned)

My 6-month sabbatical, which concludes July 8, has been a rich, fulfilling time of rest, rejuvenation, and restoration. I am so grateful that InterVarsity has both the systems and structures that allow for sabbatical, as well as the culture that supported me in taking it. It’s hard to summarize 6 months of experiences in one document, and it’s possible that some realizations will only emerge after more time has passed, but here is my current list of highlights. At the end are the main lessons that I learned that I hope to bring forward with me after I return to work. 

Ways I encountered God

Time with kids:

• Told numerous Bible stories to Luke per his request! Luke’s favorites involved Jesus calming the storm and appearing to the disciples after his resurrection. 
• Having a solo week with Luke while Liz was away with Ellie. We were able to eat dinner at a farmer’s market, had lunch at a Nepalese restaurant, hiked along a stream, and ate ice cream
• Was able to be fully present with kids when they were sick and stayed home from daycare
• Spent significant time with Ellie every Tuesday and Wednesday. We often went to the library or to the Dickinson art gallery. 

In Church:

• Being able to fully engage with and enjoy a small group and the Alpha course
• Having a deeper sense of community with the diverse people who attend our church
• After a sermon series about loving one’s neighbors, intentionally taking Luke with me to hand out cookies and donuts to our nearby neighbors—discovering that 3 people who attend our church also live on our block! 

Spiritual Reflection:

• Met with a spiritual director each month
• Journaled regularly
• Took a total of 10 Retreat Days, mostly at Stillwater Retreat center in Carlisle

Reading and writing: 

• Read ~35 books, especially books that covered topics like power, politics, and faith
• Read through old journals from 2008-2013, seeing in the pages how I grew as a person and as a follower of Jesus. I saw how angsty and insecure I was when I was younger, and how I slowly grew more confident and secure as God kept leading me forward. 
• Wrote ~15 blogs about faith, philosophy, politics, and even Star Wars!
• Created a 9-week small group Bible study guide on the theme of “Politics in the Bible”
• Listened to the Good Faith podcast and the Bible Project podcast

Outdoor activity:

• Skied at Roundtop Mountain on 7 occasions, despite the limited snow this winter
• Hiked at White Rocks, Pole Steeple, Oppossum Lake, Kings Gap, Letort Stream, Waggoner’s Gap
• Kayaked on the Conodoguinet and canoed in the Poconos
• Sat on the beach at Fuller Lake

Conversations with friends:

• In person visits with Jason & Megan, Andrew & Sam, Neil, Mark, Kirk, Jeff & Sam, Ian, Steve & Meg, Joanne, Emery, Sean & Nicole Tim, Ryan, Colin, Grace, Rella, and many others
• Phone calls with Betsy, Rob, Avi, Lauren, Tom, and many others

At home:

• Set up a basement “lair” for myself to retreat to 
• Was able to enjoy cooking more frequently and thinking through more elaborate meals
• Hired a construction company to tear down our old fence and build a new one 
• More meaningful time with Liz

Travel:

• Trip with Liz to Stasbourg, France for a wedding. Had an Airbnb overlooking what had been the tallest cathedral in Europe, and had time to explore numerous old streets, churches, and architecture
• Family vacation in the Poconos right on a gorgeous lake
• Trips to Longwood Gardens 
• Trip to Newburgh for Memorial Day
• Upcoming trip to Massachusetts 

Lessons Learned During Sabbatical

1. I should pay more attention to my feelings and desires, rather than ignoring them. They often point to a helpful next step. Over sabbatical I got better at listening to my body and soul. When I felt lonely, I reached out to a friend. When I felt hungry, I made sure to find something I wanted to eat. When I felt sick, I took it easy and rested. When I felt bored, I left the house to run errands or went on a hike. When I return to work I want to make sure I keep listening to my own feelings and desires and responding accordingly. 

2. I can have confidence and security in myself as I build my life on Jesus. I don’t have to be anxious, worried, or panicked even if others are, because I know where my foundation is. On the flip side, I don’t have to get sucked into thinking the grass would always be greener if something about my situation changed. God has brought me step by step to this current location, life, family, and career, and I must continue to be grateful and intentional in all of those things, trusting him to keep leading me.  

3. Institutions, organizations, and systems of power matter a lot, but the way Christians interact in them should be different compared to others. A Christian should long for a slow and steady influence over a longer amount of time, rather than trying to achieve a flashy big impact all at once. Similarly, the best way to change culture is not just to critique it, but to create more of it. And lastly, as intense as this political moment is right now, Millennials such as myself should not burn ourselves out trying to fix everything right now. We need to be preparing ourselves and our own institutions for what’s going to come in the next 20-30 years, when we enter senior leadership and become the next generation of leaders.

4. Do not ignore the Holy Spirit and prayer. Through reading books and reflecting on my own experiences, it becomes more and more clear to me how important it is to be aware of the reality of the spiritual realm and the power of God in bringing hope and healing. One move of the Holy Spirit it worth 50 attempts solely in my own power.