Unexpected Sabbatical

Have any of you been tracking with the Girl Talk blog over the past few months? They’ve had a series on preparation for seasons such as Postpartum Depression and PMS. It is a very helpful series of blogs with a lot of scripture and biblical wisdom on how to handle our feelings during these times. Check it out. I think you will find it very helpful. I benefited particularly from a post entitled, A Simple Season, where Janelle Mahaney shares how she has had to pull back from her normal schedule and slow down because of morning sickness with the pregnancy of her second child. She said, “I had to acknowledge that the Lord had placed limitations in this season of my life. It was humbling, but these limitations were God-given and for my good.”

I recently got the flu. At first I didn’t think it was more than a cold and tried to push through it. I continued to get up early, go to the pool and swim laps, and carry on, but I finally reached the point where I just had to slow down and rest. In the past, I would not have recognized my limitations. Instead I would have kept pushing and ended up in tears and probably a fit of anger toward my husband or children. But by God’s grace, this time I chose to resist ‘do it all self-sufficiency’ and embraced the limitations God was bringing through a simple virus. In another Girl Talk post, The New Normal Carolyn Mahaney gives suggestions on how to throttle back in a weak season—for example, be sure to feed your soul, focus on key chores such as food and laundry to care for your family, take a warm shower, and slip in a nap or two. The series has loads of both practical help and biblical perspective for ladies in every season of life.

My flu lasted about three weeks, which to me felt like forever. I know my ‘trial’ was very short and mild compared to menopause or postpartum depression. Yet God has used it to help me to grow in humility and my dependence on Him. I pretty much pared down the days to time with the Lord, a little school, making sure we had dinner and sleep! I agree with Janelle, it is humbling, and it’s been for my good. As my weakness increased, the limitations that followed pushed out a lot of the noise in my life (much of it self – generated), and God’s voice became clearer to me. Now that I’m back to more typical responsibilities and projects, I hope I won’t forget this little sabbatical. God continues to teach me that I am to live my life “by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20) not in my own strength.