Why take a sabbatical?
After 6 years of working as a young professional, I decided to put a pause on my career. No, I wasn’t burnt out from long hours and overwhelming demands from my job (in fact, I loved my job). No, I wasn’t reevaluating my life decisions post-COVID and participating in the “Great Resignation” trend of the time. God had called me to a Sabbath Year almost 6 years ago, and it was time for me to embark on it.
When I first graduated from University, I landed a great job and started making real adult money for the first time. But as the numbers of my bank, brokerage, and retirements accounts grew, so did my ambitions to feed the fires of money, career, and financial independence. My thoughts were consumed by making enough money so I’d never have to work again in my life (which sounds suspiciously like the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21). But after a few months of this, God showed me the idea of a Sabbath year, a year of rest dedicated to Him. After that, I couldn’t get the thought out of my head.
My time of rest in India
I had dear friends in India at the time, so as the 7th year quickly approached, I made plans to live with them for 6 months. And what a 6 months it was! My first goal was rest, but a productive kind of rest, not the “sitting and watching Netflix for 6 months” kind of rest. I spent a lot of time in prayer, meditation, and studying the Word of God (the Bible). I got to learn from other great books (shout-out to Sapiens, Antifragile, and 30 Life Lessons from the Wisest Americans). I cherished all the time I spent with my friends: cooking, cleaning, talking, playing games. Life at rest felt full, but not the full life I was living while working. It was the fullness of eating just enough at the family Sunday night dinner, surrounded by loved ones who want to nourish you; instead of the fullness of trying to shove one more shirt or towel into a washing machine at max capacity.
On the theme of productive rest: while in India, I had a great creative outlet and had the opportunity to lead new product innovation for my friends’ coffee shop (Bean Board – Chinna Waltair). Leveraging skills from my career, I led the team and staff to brainstorm dozens of new drink ideas, create a handful of prototypes, and launch 3 new products to the market! Not only were we satisfied with the product quality and in-market performance, but it was so fulfilling to help the staff unlock their latent creative potential.
When my 6 months in India were coming to a close, I was sad to leave the wonderful people that I’d developed such great friendships with – the people truly make the place. I met new friends from all walks of life: from young bachelors enjoying their lives and finding their way, to established businessmen who were pillars in the marketplace and local economy; from orphans and widows who were being cared for by organic loving communities, to traditional nuclear families, raising their children and pinning hopes and dreams of a bright future onto them; from the intellectuals discussing abstract theories and life optimization, to the carefree celebrators of life dancing indoors and in the streets. For all of you I met that might be reading this: thank you for making my time in India so precious.
Every moment I lived during my time in India influenced me. Every moment accumulated to push my life’s path and trajectory maybe a few degrees, or maybe only fractions of a degree. As I’ve reflected on my time there, I don’t have universal truths and axioms to share with you, or for myself. However, I have a handful of concrete learnings for my own life, and things I resolve to do now that I’m back. Though they won’t apply to all of you, I hope they can inspire you to reflect and look at your own life, what path you’re on, and realize that there is so much life out there to live, and so much purpose and fulfillment to realize on your journey.
I resolve to…
I resolve to take more risks – the kind of risk with known limited downside, but unknown potential upside. Inspired by Antifragile (Nassim Taleb), I’ve realized that so often, we do the reverse and settle for taking a chance where we can calculate our expected probability and magnitude of success (generally, when we can calculate the full benefit, it tends to be smaller). But I saw how tough life can be in India, and those who win and succeed shoot the potentially life-altering shots, though they know the risks associated with those actions.
I resolve to prioritize rest. It’s too easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, especially in the productivity-focused culture of America. Intentionally blocking off time for productive rest is something I’ve done in the past (generally through the weekly Sabbath) and will continue to do. I saw how being rested gives space for my mind to wander, expand, and think creatively. Putting rest as a part of my schedule forced me to be more selective and intentional with my time and focus on what’s most important. I saw that it’s truly okay to slow down once in a while – life is not for output, but for living and enjoying the life God gives to us.
I resolve to be more hospitable. While in India, so many people invited me to their homes and their lives. So many people wanted to show me their city and make sure I enjoyed my time there. Any time I entered someone’s home, I was immediately given snacks and something to drink. Sometimes, the level of hospitality was almost overwhelming! But even when people didn’t have much, they ensured I felt welcomed and loved, and that was a good lesson to learn. I want to swing my pendulum more in that direction, and I’m sure it’ll be okay if I overshoot.
I resolve to have more grace. So often, we’ve heard stories of Americans expecting everyone to be like them, speak their language, and do things their way. Though I entered India curious at the multitude of things that didn’t make sense to me, I eventually learned that there was rhyme and reason that I’d never realized before.
And that baffling behavior went both ways. Once, after a few full days of spending time with a close friend and his family, I found myself getting a little irritable. I bluntly told my friend that I needed a little bit of alone time, which felt extremely out of place and probably offensive in such a communal culture. I really felt my American-ness showing, but thankfully, he showed me plenty of grace, understood the differences, and allowed me to shed the local cultural norms without judgement.
I resolve to have more grace towards all people, especially seeing how God has grace for us, and how others have grace for me. Even if others do something that I don’t like or am not used to, if I pause and take a step back to understand where they are coming from, I can empathize, work through the differences, and we can both come out stronger on the other side.
And after wrapping up this Sabbath year, I’ll continue to Follow God. I saw that following God is not a drag or burden or sacrifice – outside of many theological reasons proving this, I also personally experienced how following God can not only be joyful, but fun! He led me down this path to take a Sabbatical, and I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. God truly does enjoy giving us good gifts (see Matthew 7:11).
What about you?
Thanks for making it to the end! I’m honored that you’d walk through these memories and reflections with me. There are so many more experiences I could share with you, but maybe we can leave that for discussions over a call, cup of coffee, or a meal.
I’d like to leave you with a few things to consider. Though taking this year of rest was amazing, I don’t think anyone needs to (unless, perhaps, God has called you to it, like He did for me).
However, if you’re a Christian, I would highly encourage you to start practicing the weekly Sabbath. A day of rest per week, dedicated to the Lord, is precious and highly valued time for me, and I hope this Rhythm of Rest can become the same for you. The Common Rule is a good starting point to explore what the Bible says about Sabbath and rest.
If you don’t currently follow Jesus, I’d like to extend even more thanks to you for engaging with this content! I hope I was able to pull back the curtain a little bit on who God is and the kind of life He wants for us. If you have any more questions or want to learn more, I’d be happy to chat and hear your thoughts.
As I’m wrapping up this sabbatical, I recognize how blessed I am to experience how life is so much more than just what I produce. I’m aiming to finish this season of life well, and start the next one with vigor, vitality, and an air of serenity, fully trusting in the Lord for all things.
The Sabbath is a day for the sake of life. …It is not an interlude but the climax of living.
Abraham Joshua Heschel (The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man)
Resources that were helpful to me
- “The Sabbath Year” – Rev. Peter Roebelen
- This was a core reading for me. It’s an excellent reflection on the themes of Sabbath, Shmita, and Jubilee, and directed me down many other helpful paths. Definitely start here.
- “The Sabbath” – Abraham Joshua Heschel
- A short, lovely walk-through of the Sabbath. Flowery and poetic in language, Heschel illuminates the Sabbath (and the God of the Sabbath) in a wondrous and joyous light.
- “Why I took a Sabbatical Year (and how I did it)” – Bob Lotich
- A practical story of how a “regular person” was able to incorporate the pattern of the Sabbath Year into his life! This gave me encouragement that I wasn’t the only one doing this, ideas on how to think about the Sabbath year, and practical do’s and don’ts. I aspire to make my blog posts as easy to read as this guy’s 😉