Guest Post from Dr. Suzan Johnson-Cook: Summer, Selah and Sabbatical

Summer is here in the US, a season many of us long for. I love being outdoors in warm weather, especially being from the east coast where we only get two very hot months. It's the time when I plan my vacation and recreation. 

We rarely stop and think about familiar words like vacation and recreation. Vacation is when we "vacate" to somewhere new.  Recreation is a time for God to "re-create" and replenish us from that which has been poured out.

Selah is a musical term that we see throughout the Old Testament psalms more than seventy times (remember the psalms were actually songs written, mostly by David who accompanied many of them on his harp.) Selah is not to be spoken, nor is a note to be played. Instead, when a Selah came, the music was supposed to stop; a rest period in the midst of a beautiful melody.

Sabbatical, on the other hand, comes from the word Sabbath, when God, who created Heaven and earth, actually stepped back, rested and stopped. Unfortunately, many of us do not know how to rest nor stop.

Look at Michael Jackson, whose life and death has filled our television-screens and our hearts over the past weeks. I grew up with Michael's music. He, being only a year younger than me, felt like my teenage friend when he was with the Jackson Five.

Many of the reports on his life and last days have highlighted that he was not comfortable in his own skin and that he couldn't sleep nor rest without medication. What a tragedy that one who triumphed in his musical ability was unable to rest long enough to enjoy the life that he lived or the music he played.

In my first pastorate, I asked for a one year sabbatical to honor the contract we agreed upon. Many leaders from around the world called and told me that if I took a sabbatical I would lose my church. I told them if I didn't take a break, I'd lose myself, and that was far worse because then both the church and me would be gone. I successfully took the sabbatical and now grants are given all over the country for clergy sabbaticals. Rest did not result in ruin.

It is summertime. Even though many of us cannot take a year or even a month long sabbatical, we can use this time to re-group, re-prioritize and refresh - becoming more comfortable in the skin we're in and honoring God in the process.