Sabbatical Reflections
- Regina L. Ross
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
As my sabbatical comes to a close, I've been reflecting on what this season of intentional rest has taught me.
Here are five lessons I'm taking into my next season:
𝟏. 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 🙏🏽
I've been reminded that control is often an illusion. Instead of resisting change, I've been practicing the 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳—focusing my energy on what I can influence and trusting God with what I cannot.
𝟐. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐲 🤔
Some of my favorite moments weren't planned: unhurried conversations, walks, coaching my son, midday naps, and simply asking, "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺?" For someone who thrives on structure, that was an unexpected gift.
𝟑. 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝗪𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲💸⏳
This season has caused me to rethink both 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 stewardship and 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 stewardship. Every "𝐲𝐞𝐬" is an investment of limited time and energy, so I'm becoming more intentional about where I choose to invest both.
𝟒. 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 🤝🏽
One of the greatest blessings has been reconnecting with friends and colleagues—many pictured here. As an introvert, I was surprised by how much these one-on-one conversations filled my cup. Relationships truly are one of life's greatest investments.
𝟓. 𝐃𝐨 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐉𝐨𝐲 😄
Early in my career, a manager encouraged me not to expect my job to fulfill every passion. That advice has stayed with me. This sabbatical gave me space to pour into what brings me joy—hosting my 5th annual 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 ~ 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 ~ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 retreat and launching the 𝗪𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲, equipping faith-filled women leaders to walk confidently in their calling.
When God created the world, He intentionally rested before moving on. That rhythm of 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 wasn't an afterthought—it was a model for us.
I'm excited to begin my next professional chapter (more on that soon!), but I'm even more committed to carrying a 𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 with me: 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, and 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘺.
𝗪𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
Whether your season allows for an extended sabbatical or simply a weekly Sabbath, I pray you find a healthy rhythm of 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
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