Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate themselves to the Lord. I love that the Nazirite vow is optional. No one is forced into extraordinary devotion. You choose it. You set yourself apart for a season or for life. The vow isn't about being holier than everyone else; it's about consecration, about saying: this season of my life belongs especially to God. I took a sabbatical year after my kids went to college. I didn't know what to do with myself. My friend suggested I think of it as a Nazirite season: set apart time, dedicated to listening, to spiritual formation, to being present to God without the usual noise of parenting and work. I let my hair grow as a visible symbol. I fasted one day a week. I told people I wasn't available for certain social obligations because I was in a dedicated season. It sounds extreme, but it gave me permission to be fully present to something without guilt.
No comments yet. Be the first.