TAKING A BREAK

Although I have only hiked a tiny fraction of the 2,180 mile long AT (Appalachian Trail), I am intrigued by the personal accounts of through-hikers. Recently, listening to the audio of "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail," I had to pause and reflect on something that had just been said. I paraphrase: "Even though the trail is marked and the hikers are veterans, some get lost. Almost always a hiker becomes lost after taking a break. After the break the hiker mistakenly just starts walking in the wrong direction." If the hiker had not taken a break, he would not have gotten off trail and become lost. Suddenly I was bombarded by memories of real life pastoral experiences: After she had missed several services, I called a sister that had served God faithfully for years. She responded, "Oh, I am just going to take a sabbatical from church for a while." It has been around fifteen years, and she is still on sabbatical. I think she is genuinely lost. Another responded with an email: "I am taking a break from church-any church." Others have informed me. "I want to take a break from choir." "I want to take a break from being so involved." "I want to take a break from mid-week services." There may be some extenuating circumstances that mandate a believer's taking a break from some kinds of involvement. But, one should never take a break from serving God or from the basic holy habits of serving God--gathering with the saints, Bible reading, personal prayer, worship, ministering, etc. Folks get lost during these breaks. In specifics the AT analogy (as any analogy) soon ceases to apply. The grueling physical exertion of hiking demands a break. Sometimes the beauty of the vista requires a stop. Even though the analogy soon falters, the lesson and warning of taking a break remain: Most who get lost on the trail do so after taking a break. On this Christian walk there is no time or place to be stopping. There is no moment we can lower the shield of faith or lay down the sword. There is no looking back from the plow. There is no backwards turning of the head to see Sodom. There can be no pausing to sigh reluctantly over having left the pleasures of this present world. Don't take a break. Don't leave the trail. Don't get lost. Walk on.

TAKING A BREAK

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