In a recent presentation given at Cal Poly, one of the questions that was asked of the faculty attendees was, “How can we measure success?”
- Number of publications
- High teaching evaluations
- Grants
These were some of the answers that emerged.
But to my surprise, one of the professors answered, “Free time.” That was such a shocking answer to me! And the sad reality was that in that sense, I am a complete 100% failure!
This past quarter I really struggled with time. I was teaching a new course, spending hours (surely much more than I needed due to my tendency for perfectionism) coming up with course content. In addition, I was finishing a research paper, doing homeless ministry, and the list goes on. Free time was something that I just did not have.
To survive the quarter without losing my sanity (maybe that ship had already sailed), I realized that I needed to say NO to more things. So, the prayer of my heart became, “Lord, give me wisdom and courage to say no to the things you did not call me to do.”
The quarter advanced, and I struggled more and more.
Sadly, I even missed some of the faculty small group Bible studies. However, towards the end of the quarter, I got an email from the study leader with the topic of the next meeting: Sabbath and Work. I knew deep in my heart that was a lesson I needed to attend, as in my vocabulary, those two words would never fit together in a sentence.
I ended up joining the Bible Study by phone as I was just leaving a doctor’s office (yeah, I badly hurt my hand from all the work I did that quarter). That study was amazing and helped me to realize that I was not alone in my struggles. Every single person in the group was on that same (sinking) boat!
We opened up. We were vulnerable and honest about our struggles, and it became clear to me that my:
- lack of faith in God’s provision
- lack of understanding of what the sabbath is
- pride and arrogance
were keeping me from experiencing rest and peace.
At the end, we brainstormed steps that we could take together to honor God and His call to rest. That meeting was a refreshment to my soul!
Do I still struggle finding time to rest? Yeah, for sure! But by God’s grace, I am better today than I was yesterday, and I am confident He will complete His good work in me (Phil 1:6)
I have now added “rest” to my definition of success.
Anelise Sabbag
Statistics Education
Cal Poly SLO