I am a backpacking rookie.  I don’t own a backpack or a lightweight stove.  I’ve gone on two previous backpacking trips—one with a church group when I was in the 7th grade (we were snowed in and rescued)—and the second backpack trip occurred when I was 24 or 25 years old and working at the Palo Alto VA.  Neither of these adventures were very positive.

But, this trip went much better due in large part to the guidance and mentoring of Mike and Kari—two dear friends who initiated and organized this backpack adventure.  Mike and Kari planned the entire trip and they purchased all of the necessary items.  They just asked me to bring my clothes and toiletries.  How could it be so simple!?

On Sunday night, we laid our items on the living room floor and the kitchen table and we loaded our backpacks.  Mike and Kari were encouraging and supportive—-but in hindsight—-they did not offer much packing direction to me—-the wilderness novice.

So, with basically with no rhyme or reason, plan or method, I pushed and shoved item after item into my pack.  It all seemed to fit—-so I closed the zippers and cinched the lid—and thought that I was in good shape.

Given my limited backcountry experience it has always seemed to me that backpacking basically involves taking items from your dresser, the kitchen, and the workbench and placing them on your back.  Along the trail, the sights and the vistas might be amazing—but all the while one is schlepping a significant load.  Each person is basically carrying a burden (a yoke of sorts).

During that first day on the trail my pack was digging into my hips and the shoulder straps were not riding well.  My pack was listing to the left—-a bit like a tree long bent by a howling wind.  As we walked, Mike commented that my pack seemed to be teetering to the left—-the pack and my torso seemed to be out of balance.  I was reminded why I had never been drawn to backpacking and carrying a load.

At the end of that first day of hiking, as we set down our packs, Mike uttered an unwanted suggestion.  “Rich—-I think you should empty your pack.  Take everything out and set it on the ground.  Item by item I’ll help you get organized.  As we put these items back in your pack we’ll do it thoughtfully.  The items that you wanted to easily get to today—-we’ll put those in these zippered outside pockets.  The heavy items—-like the tent and the food items—-we’ll center those in the pack so they are positioned against your spine and centered between your hips.  So go ahead—-empty your pack.”

Empty my pack—-what was he talking about?  I was tired and worn out.  I wanted to soak my feet in the creek, have some freeze-dried dinner, and get into my sleeping bag.  But, since I also wanted to be a cooperative guest I followed Mike’s direction and emptied my pack.

Mike returned a few minutes later and we began to carefully and strategically place (and secure) each item in the pack.  We thoughtfully chose where each item would be located given its weight, size, and whether or not I might want get to that item as we hiked the next day.  The end process was that all of these items again fit into my pack—but now they were fitted to the pack—-and now the contents of the pack were also fitted to me.

But, we were not done—one more series of adjustments was needed.  Mike had me put on the pack and then he began adjusting the hip belt, shoulder straps, and the sternum strap.  He was fitting the pack to the contours of my hips, back, shoulders, and chest.  It was like getting fitted for a new business suit.

Now the contents of the pack were thoughtfully and wisely positioned and balanced.  And the pack itself was fitted to me.

For the next 4 days on the trail my pack was still heavy—-it still had weight—-but it was not a burden.  It did not weigh me down.  I knew that I was still carrying forty pounds—-but now this load was fitted to me.  The load was not light, but it was a load that was “tailored” to me.

This process of backpacking and working with my pack got me thinking about what the Bible says about burdens and yokes.

These passages came to mind.

• Matt 11:28-30. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
• Ps 55:22. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
• Gal 6:2. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
• I Pet 5:6-7. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you.
• Matt 23:2-4 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  So you must obey them and do everything they tell you.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

From my experience in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and pondering over these passages of Scripture—these observations that come to mind.

1. The backpack must be fitted to the person.  It must fit well around the hips, shoulders, and sternum.  One size does not fit all. The burden and yoke that Christ has for us—must be made for us—it must be a burden, role, or responsibility that He has tailored to us.  We must not assume that the burden or yoke of another is intended for us.  We must ask ourselves, “What is the burden, load, or yoke that God has for me—and how might He be intending to fit and adjust this load to me—-and how might He be intending to use this load in my life—-for my good and for His glory?”
2. The backpack must be filled with only essential items.  We must not load ourselves down with extraneous and non-critical items.  Whatever we put (and whatever God puts) in our pack—-we’re gonna carry it.  So it’s important to ask the Lord—what is it that You want me to carry? And how might You use this item/person/concern/issue to change me and to minister through me?
3. The pack must be packed in a thoughtful, wise, and useful way.  On the first day of our adventure my backpack was organized in a manner that was not useful—-and as we began hiking I did not even know that this was a problem.  I did not know the difference between a well-organized pack and a disorganized pack. It was the process of trying to get to needed items (that were stuffed in the bottom of the pack) that demonstrated to me that I had much to learn.  So, with each day as I packed and unpacked my backpack this process brought me to more clearly understand what items I needed to have near at hand and what items could be put to the bottom of the pack.  I was learning to strategically prioritize and value what was most important.
4. In packing my backpack I also needed balance.  On the first day of our trek my pack listed to the left because the weighty items were not placed near the vertical center of the pack—-they weren’t close to my spine.  Consequently—my load felt heavier than necessary. My load did not feel light—-I felt the strain on my hips and shoulders.  The weight (burden, yoke) would have been much more manageable (it would have fit me better) if the weight had been better “fitted” to me and if the weight had been wisely and thoughtfully balanced.
5.   Midway through the backpacking adventure another person in the group (Donny) offered to carry the tent.  In exchange I carried a larger portion of our food. This was a gracious offer—and I appreciated the relief.  To have a slightly lighter load was a great help. (Gal. 6:2—bearing one another’s burdens)

I have not been backpacking since this adventure with these dear souls.  But, I have been regularly reminded of the truth that God has roles, responsibilities, and burdens for me to bear.  God has a yoke that is fitted to me.  And, by the Spirit, He intends to carry these loads with me.  He intends that the weight will strengthen and mature me in Him.  And I know that if the burden is not from Him—-and if the yoke is not fitted to me by Him that I will not be able carry it well—for I will not be carrying it in Him.

From a spiritual and psychological perspective, this state of constant movement and restlessness comes at a great price.  In many ways, I too have been caught-up in being too active, too productive, and too busy.

This Counseling Newsletter is about Rest and Sabbath.  For much of my life I have not taken seriously God’s exhortation (command) to rest in Him.  Sadly, I have been reluctant to set aside enough of my pressing agenda to allow time to deeply relax, breathe, and find rest in God.  But, this is a new season and I am desirous of developing a lifestyle of more fully resting in God and intentionally developing a Sabbath heart and habit.

In September 2018, I was in Switzerland serving as a staff psychologist at a men’s Christian retreat called TRACTION.  During this time it became clear to me that I had not lived a life of rest and resting in God—I had not seriously considered the notion of Sabbath.  While in Switzerland I wrote an email message to my adult kids.  Here is what I wrote:

“Adult Morey Kids—as I write this (and I will tell you this in person) I want to apologize for not modeling well for you how to rest, be quiet, and be still—and take Sabbath.  We’ve been talking about Sabbath and rest in our small groups and I shared that I think I taught you well how to work, how to be productive, how to serve others, how to use your time well, and how to play hard.  But, I went onto say that I don’t think that I taught or modeled for you (at least not well or consistently) how to take time to rest, slow down, and be still.  For this I apologize.  I am wondering how/if you may have learned this elsewhere or from others (maybe from Mom).  When I get back, and in the months ahead, I would really like to unhurriedly, and at a leisurely pace, listen to your thoughts/feelings on this.”

The conversation about Sabbath, within my own soul and with my adult kids, continues.  Below are a series of quotations.  The books from which these passages are drawn are listed on page 4.  They express the wisdom of taking time for rest and Sabbath.  If a need for Sabbath and rest resonates with you —I invite you to bring that conversation to one of our sessions.

Hurry

In a culture where busyness is a fetish and stillness is laziness, rest is sloth.  But without rest, we miss the rest of God…Some knowing is never pursued, only received.  And for that, you need to be still….Sabbath is a day and an attitude—a spot on the calendar and a disposition of the heart…Sabbath—in the long run, is as essential to your well-being as food and water, and as good as a wood fire on a cold day.

I was just in a hurry.  I’ve been in a hurry most of my life.  My biggest regret in life—being in a hurry.  Getting to the next thing without full entering the thing in front of me.

Time itself is not enough, but when time is absent, nothing else is present.

When I was a boy I learned to skip rocks across a lake. If I threw the stone fast and true, it could skip clear to the other side, barely getting wet. But if I threw it too slowly, it hit the water once and disappeared. We don’t want to disappear. If we slow down we might be pulled by gravity to the bottom of our feelings, we might drown in all we have lost. So we keep moving, never finding refuge.

These “lost” values are human qualities that require time. Honesty, courage, kindness, civility, wisdom, compassion——these can only be nourished in the soil of time and attention, and they need experience and practice to come to harvest. These are not commodities that can be bought, sold, or invested. They cannot be manufactured, advertised, or marketed. Our core human values, the deepest and best of who we are require the nourishment of time and care, if we are to grow and flourish.

Attention

Maybe He just wants your attention.  Maybe that’s what God requires most from us:  our attention.  Indeed, this is the essence of a Sabbath heart: paying attention.  It is being fully present, whole awake, in each moment.

Martha’s industry joined to Mary’s attentiveness.  The best is to have Martha’s hand and Mary’s heart.  Put your hand to the task, Martha-like, and do it with all your heart, Mary-like. (see Luke 10)

Leisure and Sabbath

Before we keep a Sabbath day, we cultivate a Sabbath heart.

Leisure is Sabbath bereft of the sacred.  It is a vacation—literally a vacating, an evacuation.  Leisure has become despotic in our age, enslaving us and exhausting us, demanding from us more than it gives.

Sabbath and Relaxing Without Guilt

The lie here is that I have no right to rest…I have no right to a lot of things.  I have an inescapable need for rest.  You cannot rest until your work is done…and the work’s never done.  It’s always more than you can finish and less than you had hoped for.  Sabbath is sheer gift.  Sabbath is a stop-work order in the midst of work that’s never complete, never polished.  It’s the rest we take smack-dab in the middle, without apology, without guilt, and for no better reason than God told us we could.

Sabbath and Paying Attention

Stop. Look. Look Close.

There is a subplot of comedy in the Bible: God or Jesus or an angelic messenger shows up, and those who should know better, who should be paying attention—priests, lawyers, teachers, apostles—typically miss it—while those least deserving—shepherds, children, beggars, whores—typically grasp it, and immediately…Of all the days we might set apart to practice the art of attentiveness, Sabbath is an outstanding candidate.  Sabbath invites us to stop—to relax w/o guilt.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception (Prov. 14:8).  The wisdom of the wise is to give thought to their ways.  They think about what they’re doing.  Wise people ask, “Does this path I’m walking lead to a place I want to go?  If I keep heading this way, will I like where I arrive?”

Stillness

We only thrive by an ample measure of stillness.  A bird not nesting, then plummets.  Grass trampled day after day—gets scalped and hard.  A saw used without relent grows dull and brittle.  A motor new that is not maintained sputters, stalls, and seizes.

We’ve not been still long enough, often enough, to know ourselves, our friends, our family.  Our God.  The worst hallucination busyness conjures is the conviction that I am God. All depends on me.  How will the right things happen at the right time if I’m not pushing and pulling and watching and worrying?

Play

Play is an anticipation, as shadow is of reality, of a rest that never ends.  Play and Sabbath are joined at the hip, and sometimes we rest best when we play hardest.

Play feels irresponsible.  How can you justify it when there are so many things still to do on your to-do list?

The Sabbath in the Old Testament (Psalm 92:1-5) was a day for rejoicing. Many modern readers of the Bible seem to miss this. They imagine the Old Testament Sabbath as an oppressive day burdened by endless rules and prohibitions. But it wasn’t like that. People didn’t have to go to work! They were given an opportunity to gather with their families and friends from morning till evening and enjoy the presence of God! It was a good day—one in which they could literally play lively tunes on their harps and sing joyful psalms from their hearts.

God’s Sovereignty and Sabbath

Unless we trust God’s sovereignty, we don’t dare risk Sabbath…Jewish Sabbath begins in the evening—with sleep.  Sleep is an act of faith.

There’s no rest for those who don’t believe that God is sovereign.  If God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called to His purposes, you can relax.  If He doesn’t, start worrying.  If God can take any mess, any mishap, any wastage, any wreckage, any anything, and choreograph beauty and meaning from it, then you can take a day off.  If He can’t, get busy.  Either God’s always at work, watching the city, building the house, or you need to try harder.  Either God is good and in control, or it all depends on you.

Sabbath as Counter-Cultural

Jesus’ Sabbath-keeping always looked to His enemies like Sabbath-breaking.  That was one of the many ironies of their accusations against Him.

Isaiah 58:13-14. Isaiah brings the central issue of the Sabbath controversy into clear and bold focus. Whose day is it? Who is the Lord of the Sabbath, and will I bow before Him? How does the Lord of the Sabbath want me to use the day for my good and His glory?

Mark 2:27. You are not made for the Sabbath; the Sabbath is made for you.

Sabbath and the Heart

When I say Sabbath, I also mean an attitude.  It is a perspective, an orientation.  I mean a Sabbath heart, not just a Sabbath day.  A Sabbath heart is restful even in the midst of unrest and upheaval.  It is attentive to the presence of God and others even in the welter of much coming and going, rising and falling.  It is still and knows God even when mountains fall into the sea.

Sabbath Set Apart

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Literally, that means that God sanctified it or set it apart (from the other days). God made the seventh day something special, a spiritual and material blessing for all humanity.

The word holy refers to someone or something that is unique, distinct, set apart by God from common use for His purposes. We are called to keep or maintain the Sabbath as a day set apart by God for rest and refreshment of both body and soul.

Sabbath as a Covenant

Thus, the Sabbath became a sign of the covenant, an emblem of the special relationship of grace between the Redeemer-God and His chosen people.

Sabbath and Rest

A major blessing of Sabbath keeping is that it forces us to rely on God for our future. On that day we do nothing to create our own way. We abstain from work, from our incessant need to produce and accomplish, from all the anxieties about how we can be successful in all that we have to do to get ahead. The result is that we can let God be God in our lives.

Rest is here defined as refreshment. The fact that we are not working does not necessarily mean that we are resting. The word translated “refresh” in the Old Testament also means to “breathe.” A man is refreshed when, having exhausted himself, he recovers his breath. The Sabbath is a God-given opportunity to catch our breath in the midst of our weekly routine of work.

The Sabbath prescription is a loving reminder to take full advantage of a condition that already exists. At rest, our souls are restored. This is the only commandment that begins with the word, “remember,” as it refers to something we already know, but have forgotten. It is good.  It is whole. It is beautiful. In our hurry and worry and acquiring and working, we forget. Rest, take delight in the goodness of creation, and remember how good it is.

Just because we are working hard does not mean we are making anything happen.

The wisdom of Sabbath time is that at a prescribed moment, it is time to stop. We cannot wait until we are finished, because we are never finished. We cannot wait until we have everything we need, because the mind is seduced by endlessly multiplying desires. We cannot wait until things slow down, because the world is moving faster and faster, and we cannot be left behind. There are always a million good reasons to keep on going, and never a good enough reason to stop.

Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives.   Wayne Muller.

Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time.   Dorothy Bass.

Celebrating the Sabbath: Finding Rest in a Restless World.   Bruce Ray

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath.   Mark  Buchanan