Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

-John 3:7-10

The concept of sabbatical is rooted in the biblical concept of “Sabbath” which God modeled (Genesis 2:1-4a) and commanded (Exodus 20:8-11). In Leviticus 25:1-7, the Lord says that after the sixth year the people were not supposed to sow the fields or harvest a crop. The land was allowed to rest, and therefore, so were the people.

The apostle John’s words ring out with joy: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). Because of Jesus, we are no longer outsiders looking in—we are welcomed right to the table as beloved members of God’s family.

Though we still stumble and wrestle with our old selves, the Spirit is at work shaping us more and more into the likeness of Christ. What hope and encouragement this is: our identity is secure, our place is certain, and our Father’s love never runs dry.