The phrase "the Sabbath is the exhale" really captured my imagination in today's reading.
Breath is emotive. You can tell how a person is feeling by paying attention to their breathing. Frustrated? The person huffs at us. Anxious? Someone will be breathing shallow, short breaths. Peaceful? Long, deep breaths will flow effortlessly in and out. What does it mean then that Sabbath is God's exhale?
Jackie is a young person I know. I can always tell how she is doing by paying attention to how she is breathing. When she is really frustrated I know the conversation isn't over until she exhales. She may say we are finished, but I have learned better. I have to wait for the long-awaited exhale when she purges all the left over anxious bits out into the world, letting them go finally. After she exhales, a smile returns to her face and her furrowed brow disappears. When she exhales, she is ready to move on.
I wonder, thinking of Sabbath as God's exhale, if that is the moment when God is also ready to move on, past the work of continual creation. What a wonderful moment we get to share with God, when we decide to settle ourselves down and enjoy the bliss of Sabbath space, so close to the Divine that we can feel her breath. We, too, get to rest with God. So, survey the work you've done, lean back, let out a long steady breath, and follow God's lead -- call it good.
No comments:
Post a Comment