In March of last year, I decided to go on a 3-month sabbatical to rest and simply push “pause” on day-to-day activities, specifically those related to church ministry. Mind you, I have been in ministry for over 20 years, and this was the first time I had taken an extended time away. To say it was long overdue would be an understatement.

Looking back over the 90-day rest, I have to say that it was an amazing time to refocus and inventory where I was in my own personal life. From growing in self-awareness to seeing the goodness of the Father more clearly, a lot of transformation took place over those 3 months. However, the highlight of the whole thing could be defined by two simple words: JUST BE.

You see, about mid-way through the sabbatical, I had a dream that would basically spell out the reason for my extended pause. To begin the dream, I was sitting on a church platform awaiting my turn to get up and teach. As I sat there, a deep sense of God’s presence came over me, and all of a sudden, I heard the Father say:

“The reason for this sabbatical is that you would learn how to be”

The message was so clear yet, at the same time, carried immense weight. As I sat there undone, he trumpeted it again: “The reason for this sabbatical is that you would learn how to be.” Upon hearing it the second time, I wept and at the same time, the crowd began to erupt in praise. Although our responses were different, it was as if the congregation was hearing what I was hearing. There was breakthrough in both, and I knew something significant was taking place. Under the weight of this moment in the dream, I couldn’t even stand to minister.

JUST BE

Perhaps for some of us, when we hear that phrase “Just Be,” our minds automatically revert to, “Okay, just be what?” You know, the notion that we’re supposed to be doing something. However, this specific encounter had a much simpler yet more profound meaning.

Once I came back from the sabbatical, I knew this word would be tested. Some of the immediate questions I had were: Will I remain in the flow and rhythm of (sabbatical) rest, or would I revert to the day-to-day grind of the ministry machine? Will I be able to implement this “just be” word into my daily life?

Only time would tell…

Within a few days of my return, the Father gave me two specific instructions related to “Just be.” I like to say it this way: he filled in the blank.

One afternoon while sitting in my recliner, in my minds eye I saw the phrase “just be ______.” That was it (“just be” and a blank). I thought to myself, “okay, what’s this supposed to mean?” Then, all of a sudden, I saw a hand begin to write “loved” in the first blank, and moments later, the hand proceeded to write “present” in the second blank. There it was: he was urging me to be loved and be present. Pretty simple, huh? At least one would suppose.

THE BEAUTY AND SIMPLICITY

All of us, in some way, are constantly being pulled at in different directions in our day-to-day lives. This continual pulling makes it difficult to slow down and simply be loved and present. Among this said tension is the voice that screams to us, “You’re defined by what you do.” This constant chatter wars against the reality of our identity and often veils the truth that we are loved simply because of who we are as sons and daughters. Just as Jesus is loved by the Father, so are we. This love transcends the notion of performance (what we’ve done in the past or will do in the future).

Since we are fully loved with the same love in which the Father loves Jesus Christ, this beckons us to be present. It calls us out of the clutter of noise and distraction, and into the wide-eye wonder of receiving his affection. In light of this grand-acceptance, we can be ever-present, realizing that there’s nothing I have to or need to do in order to get his approval or acceptance. We already have it. Through this dream:

The Father was calling me out of “performance-mode”—of identifying myself as a worker—and into the reality of being present in the Truth that I am loved

You see, what I didn’t tell you earlier was, I had become so entangled with the fact that I was a minister (teacher, leader, etc.). Quite frankly, I was seeing myself through the eyes of what I did. But by the grace of God, he was showing me (and still is) that those things don’t define how he sees me. Therefore, they are not my identity. Same goes for you. The Father was peeling back the veil, breaking through all the noise to reveal that those things don’t define me. Instead, my truest identity is in the fact that—whether I’m “working” or whether I’m “taking a break”—I am his beloved child.

It’s interesting that before Jesus would set out to do the things we best know him for, he had to hear the Father say, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Think about that: before he would go into the wilderness, not to mention his earthly ministry, he would need to settle within his soul that he was accepted, affirmed and included—not excluded or separated. He would engage with the eternal truth that he was so loved by his Father! This would be the weapon he’d bring to the scene of the wilderness and the rest of the world.

Friends, Jesus not only came for us. He came as us, to show that, just as he is in his relationship with the Father, so are we. Selah…

LEARNING TO BE

Inside of this (post-sabbatical) encounter, there are a few questions that I’ve learned to ask (questions are a doorway into a discovery of greater truths). They’ve been very helpful in making a simple yet profound truth, practical. So, I encourage you right now to slow down, take a deep breath, and ask the Father:

• Do you presently live in me?

• Do you love me?

• Would you reveal the depths of your love?

Now, declare this with me…

Father, I thank you that you are teaching me how to be loved and how to be present!

-RA