Week one is now complete, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. What a blessing to work for a company that gives us this opportunity to rest, rejuvenate and get out of the normal routine.
I spent this first week doing the exact opposite of what I would do normally – I didn’t make a single list, I didn’t plan anything, I didn’t get up early and I didn’t worry about anything. Being a planner by nature, I started my 2010 Sabbatical with a legal pad listing all the things I wanted to accomplish during the 30 days. I checked things off on Day One and still had things left on the list on Day 30. Even though I was rested, I had worked on “things” the entire 30 days. So, this time I have decided to Do the Opposite. Yes, I have a few things in mind that I would like to do, and I have the things on the Sabbatical Expectation list to accomplish, but this time there is no legal pad list. I’ve decided to let God lead me to what I really need to do, and to not worry about the rest.
Barney and I have been starting most days in the backyard with Max Lucado and a cup of coffee. In Just Like Jesus, Lucado describes the heart of Jesus and the heart of humanity as being quite the opposite. He says, “The heart of Jesus was spiritual. Our hearts seem so far from his. He is pure; we are greedy. He is peaceful; we are hassled. He is purposeful; we are distracted. He is pleasant; we are cranky. He is spiritual; we are earthbound. The distance between our hearts and his seems so immense. How could we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus?” The answer, Lucado explains, is to change our hearts to be more like his.
I have to refer to the Seinfeld episode where George decides to Do the Opposite, because it just seems to fit. George decides that every decision he has ever made has been wrong. Jerry convinces him that “if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right”, so George starts doing the complete opposite of what he would do normally. Doing the Opposite changes George Costanza’s life – for that episode anyway. So far I’ve enjoyed Doing the Opposite. I look forward to seeing how it will change me for the remainder of my 30 days, and beyond.