what is a sabbatical? - a personal view
A sabbatical is time out.
It is time out completely away from ones normal work. Taking a step back from day-to-day work and the responsibilities that go with it enables space for refreshment, restoration and rest to happen. Literally it is about the re-creation of body, mind and spirit.
Normally it means going to a place well away from normal activities. It means doing things differently for a set period of time, a breaking of the routine of work and rush to enable the more important things that we as human beings need: time to stop and think, to just do nothing and not feel guilty about it, time to visit new and different places and people, perhaps taste new food and drink and to breathe fresh clean air. It is more than lying on a beach for three months or however long one is away - although that can be included if it helps. It will mean more than that for most people.
Variety in the use of time during a sabbatical can bring with it more than a skin-deep sun tan! Where I am going and when I am going will mean very little opportunities for sunbathing or lying stretched out on a beach. Different experiences will, I hope, bring to me the rest and recuperation I so desire and need.
This is what Dictionary.com says about sabbatical:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
l] | 1. | of or pertaining or appropriate to the Sabbath. |
| 2. | (lowercase) of or pertaining to a sabbatical year. |
| 3. | (lowercase) bringing a period of rest. |
| 4. | (lowercase) sabbatical year. |
| 5. | (lowercase) any extended period of leave from one's customary work, esp. for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc. |
For me, being a Christian, a sabbatical means three things: it means:
- time out to be with God;
- time out to be with my family; and,
- time out for myself.
Each of these strands formed part of my sabbatical and each unfolded in the journey.
I am hoping to use some of this time to consider the different experiences of Christian communities in different settings. The Iona Community is a long established, successful and well visited community in the Hebrides of Scotland. It will be quite different in many ways to the Society of our Lady of the Isles which has its community on Fetlar in Shetland. Again this will be different from a small retreat house in Sutherland and different again from the Christian community in Somerset to which I belong. I may consider what these different places have in common and what differences and stresses they have to cope with. All of this will be under the 'time out to be with God' heading although I will be spending much time alone with God in prayer, reading, relaxation (seeing and experiencing His creation around me) and resting.
My sabatical will conclude by spending time with family, this year over Christmas without the stresses of leading worship. Being outwith my own community at this time will bring with it a sense of loss, I suspect. I shall bring some thought to bear to this in time.
