I always have a goal of reading spiritual books on the Sabbath. Instead, I usually end up with a book from the YA section of the library.
One of my activities this Sabbath was to read Madeleine L’Engle’s <em>A Wind in the Door</em> and pray through it. Every time a Mr. Jenkins thought rose up in my vain imagination, I had to love it if I wanted to make it go away.
In the book, Progo says, “But human beings need Deepening Places, too. And far too few have any.”
Sabbath creates a Deepening Place in this world. For a few hours I am quiet, still, maybe even bored. Then I am open to what L’Engle called “kairos” time, as opposed to regular, ordinary, plain ol’ “chronos” time. Reality.
“Most earthlings can bear very little reality,” Progo says
I know I can’t, especially not lately. But wrapped in the package of Sabbath, I can accept Reality. It is as different from my regular knowledge as Meg’s knowledge of her brother was enhanced when she traveled inside his body. To know him at the cellular level was altogether different.
That’s why I need to sabbath — to be able to bear reality. And that includes loving difficult people. For that, I may require a visit from a cherubim.
