I’ve read a few different articles and listened to a few podcast episodes about pastoral sabbaticals. I’ve also had conversations with various pastors about their sabbatical experiences. And the one thing I’ve come to realize is that no one knows how to sabbatical. There are no pre-determined rules or ways that a typical sabbatical unfolds. Each and every one is unique and often defies expectations. It is no less true with time on sabbatical this summer.

Two things have surprised me about my sabbatical. The first surprise was how easily I let work go. Previously, I would often ruminate on things concerning work while I would be away or on vacation. Not so with this sabbatical. I dropped work-related items as soon as the clock ticked over to June 23, 2025. The second surprise was that the clarity I have been seeking about various things in my life unfolded over time instead of one moment. I truly thought that there would be some kind of flash of insight or moment of inspiration into the direction the Lord would want me to take. That did not happen. Instead, I think some of the clarity I have seen looking for came through repeated conversations with my wife. It was the slow, pain-staking work of revisiting topics again and again which slowly revealed some more of the next steps to take.

Things to Celebrate

Despite the slowness in which some of answers to the the larger questions I had were revealed (or even still open ended), there was still so much to celebrate over this sabbatical.

Time with my wife. Throughout most of our marriage, my wife and I did everything together: chores, errands, you name it, etc. Unfortunately, much of that time together has been eroded over the years due to increasing responsibilities and demands on our time. We’ve had to “divide-and-conquer” much more in our relationship over the past three years than ever before. But the sabbatical gave us expansive amounts of time to be together. Especially since our kids were often in day camp, we had plenty of time just the two of us. It reminded me of the “good-old-days” in the best way.

Time with my kids. While we did have our kids in camp more the majority of the summer, we didn’t travel much and kept things simple. My favorite times with my kids were the unhinged meal times we had together (lots of laughs!). And times swimming in the pool. One of my guiding principles for the summer was “simple” and I think we followed through with that. I think just enjoying the time together help us to re-connect with our kids.

Time with the Lord. Admittedly, this was a bit complicated, as growth in faith tends to be. The good part was being able to deeply study 2 Corinthians, digging into the Greek text of the New Testament and being able to study deeply. The result was producing a commentary on 2 Corinthians 1-7. Yet the time before sabbatical was a waiting season for us and the time during sabbatical was still a waiting season for us, and I imagine, that the time after sabbatical will be waiting season for us. Yet the time to just have with the Lord in Bible study was refreshing and invigorating.

Things I’ve Been Learning

There were really awesome things to celebrate. And there also some lessons (some surprising) that I learned over the period of these eight weeks.

(Physical) Health is important. One thing that became very clear to me was that I need to take care of myself physically. Unfortunately, I have let a few important things grow slack (like physical fitness). Those things tend to catch up with you, especially as year-after-year roll by. While pastoral ministry is not the most physically demanding job in the world, there is still quite a bit of energy needed to accomplish it, and developing good habits around sleep, physical fitness, and eating is important.

Stress is actually a thing. I always thought the refrain “you need to manage your stress levels” was kind of silly. It’s easy to dismiss or downplay the very real physical and spiritual affects that stress can have. And so, while pastoral ministry is not physically demanding, it is mentally, spiritually, and emotionally demanding. Even the apostle Paul was beset with worry and anxiety over the state of the churches he planted (2 Corinthians 11:28). Therefore, finding ways to manage stress, or change the stress of the pastor calling is essential. I don’t have a full answer to the question: “How do I manage the stress of the pastoral calling?” But I am now more aware of the issues surrounding stress that need attention.

Ambition is a double-edged sword. I have always been a fairly ambitious person. In fact, almost everything I have set my mind to, I have accomplished: got the 4.0 in college, got the doctorate, wrote a book, have a great marriage, good family life. Now what? Even more pronounced, however, is the fact that ambition can create self-imposed pressure and stress. It seems like much of what needs to happen to straddle the line of being content without being complacent and being ambitious without burning out.

So while all these things may not seem like super-spiritual insights or some kind of profound new truth uncovered about the Lord, I think that put together, they point to the recognition that life is holistic. We cannot severe our physical life from the spiritual, and vice-versa. Furthermore, life is a marathon and is not something can be completed in a sprint.