A day off and fallow ground...
It's my day off. Which means it's still a day, just off. Not an off day, that's when things go awry. I'm talking, of course, about this thing our culture calls a 'day off'--a day to sabbath ideally, a day to do nothing, a day to not produce...a day to--get this--rest and replenish.
In farming if the ground is demanded to produce without rotating crops or replenishing nutrients, my understanding is that it is called fallow ground after a while. I think the same rings true in human life. I can crank out product in beast mode for a while, but I think the restoration that comes from taking a break, or time off is essential to a healthy soul, fertile ground so to speak.
I've demanded too much of my soil/soul in certain seasons. I just keep planting things and expect the ground to produce. I don't fertilize it, I don't cultivate it, I don't tend to it...I just need it grow stuff for others to consume or for me to consume. For a while, it's pretty intoxicating to sow and quickly see the fruit of your labor. It makes you think that if you plant more even more frequently that it would lead to the illusive "more" everyone seem to be after. But the opposite is true. There is a science to vegetation and the farmer knows how to treat the ground with respect.
The farmer knows how far the seeds of different varieties of plants need to be spaced out for their roots to have enough room to grow and nutrients to nourish that growth. If that's not considered, the crop looks anemic and it's not the seeds fault or the grounds for that matter, it's the farmer. The farmer isn't mindful of the soil...its capacity, its nature, its design. When you try to get something to do something it was never designed nor intended to do, it will rebel against you and repel your expectations. It doesn't matter what you want or need the ground to do, it will do what it was intended to do. If you treat it with honor and respect, it will take care of you. If you don't, it won't take care of you because you didn't take care of it.
So what does this have to do with a day off. I think we were designed to rest. I think this one commandment of the ten is the easiest to break. And we think we're breaking it, but it's really breaking us. You can't just kill it or crush it all the time. You can't do everything you put your mind to, nor should you. You can't dig deeper or find another gear or whatever the motivating line might be to get us to tap into our reserves to pull something else off. In time, your heart and body will betray you. It will abruptly show you your mortality and limitations as you crash and watch the collateral damage domino. I've watched it in others; I've witnessed it in myself. I would say I'm pretty high caliber and high capacity, but I've experienced a breakdown of my spirit as I taxed it to the max.
And the result, fallow ground. Ground that looks like it should be able to grow something that has been dishonored year after year until is just says, "Enough. Try and plant something in me and watch what happens. Nothing." Little stalks come up and tassel at about 2 foot high and bear an ear of corn that looks anorexic. A nothing burger. What happened?
No time off. Little to no time to get refreshed and to experience restoration. No down time.
So today I'm giving my soul/soil time to soak in some nutrients and nourishment. Nobody to be something for. Nothing demanding my attention. Nowhere I gotta be or else. Nope.
Today is my "Day Off'. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
In farming if the ground is demanded to produce without rotating crops or replenishing nutrients, my understanding is that it is called fallow ground after a while. I think the same rings true in human life. I can crank out product in beast mode for a while, but I think the restoration that comes from taking a break, or time off is essential to a healthy soul, fertile ground so to speak.
I've demanded too much of my soil/soul in certain seasons. I just keep planting things and expect the ground to produce. I don't fertilize it, I don't cultivate it, I don't tend to it...I just need it grow stuff for others to consume or for me to consume. For a while, it's pretty intoxicating to sow and quickly see the fruit of your labor. It makes you think that if you plant more even more frequently that it would lead to the illusive "more" everyone seem to be after. But the opposite is true. There is a science to vegetation and the farmer knows how to treat the ground with respect.
The farmer knows how far the seeds of different varieties of plants need to be spaced out for their roots to have enough room to grow and nutrients to nourish that growth. If that's not considered, the crop looks anemic and it's not the seeds fault or the grounds for that matter, it's the farmer. The farmer isn't mindful of the soil...its capacity, its nature, its design. When you try to get something to do something it was never designed nor intended to do, it will rebel against you and repel your expectations. It doesn't matter what you want or need the ground to do, it will do what it was intended to do. If you treat it with honor and respect, it will take care of you. If you don't, it won't take care of you because you didn't take care of it.
So what does this have to do with a day off. I think we were designed to rest. I think this one commandment of the ten is the easiest to break. And we think we're breaking it, but it's really breaking us. You can't just kill it or crush it all the time. You can't do everything you put your mind to, nor should you. You can't dig deeper or find another gear or whatever the motivating line might be to get us to tap into our reserves to pull something else off. In time, your heart and body will betray you. It will abruptly show you your mortality and limitations as you crash and watch the collateral damage domino. I've watched it in others; I've witnessed it in myself. I would say I'm pretty high caliber and high capacity, but I've experienced a breakdown of my spirit as I taxed it to the max.
And the result, fallow ground. Ground that looks like it should be able to grow something that has been dishonored year after year until is just says, "Enough. Try and plant something in me and watch what happens. Nothing." Little stalks come up and tassel at about 2 foot high and bear an ear of corn that looks anorexic. A nothing burger. What happened?
No time off. Little to no time to get refreshed and to experience restoration. No down time.
So today I'm giving my soul/soil time to soak in some nutrients and nourishment. Nobody to be something for. Nothing demanding my attention. Nowhere I gotta be or else. Nope.
Today is my "Day Off'. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
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