Hiatus (noun): a pause or gap in a sequence, series or process; a short pause in which nothing happens or a space where something no longer is. Synonyms include interruption, intermission, suspension, interlude, absence.
I have been on an unplanned hiatus from blogging, so it seemed only natural that my next word should be hiatus! This is a fun word, but not so much a biblical one. Although my hiatus was not pre-planned (and therefore not announced either, for that I apologize to you), it was much needed. Of course, it’s easy to say that now, with the gift of retrospect.
The six-week hiatus begun as a need surfaced to write only for myself and God. I indulged in private times of reflection with no thought of sharing the results with anyone, let alone the internet. I allowed myself time for “self-care”, a buzzword in the world today. Simultaneously, several transitions and events were happening in my family – e.g., children graduating, switching to summer schedules, taking driving lessons/tests, medical procedures. My energy, time, and focus were naturally drawn to these priorities in my life, leaving little to give to publishing blog posts with any depth or quality.
Just as when your favorite TV show is on hiatus, that doesn’t mean work isn’t happening behind the scenes. It just means that nothing is being shared “on air” – no new episodes for a little while, but not forever. The public display of One Word Faith may have been on hiatus, but God NEVER takes a hiatus! He was continually and faithfully at work in me during this interlude. And hopefully, this will be seen in the upcoming posts.
A “hiatus” might be analogous to a time of wandering in the desert. What could seem like a meaningless activity, a questioning of purpose, an “intermission” in life, turns out to be a turning point. Emerging from the desert, we realize that the time wandering was a key part of the journey, not a pause in the journey. Without the hiatus in the desert, the journey would not have continued or would not have expanded to the new heights and greater horizons God intended.
The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years! This historical event is recounted in Deuteronomy and contains many examples of God’s faithfulness to His people.
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. Deuteronomy 8:2
As I sat down to write about hiatus, I asked myself (as I always do), “How does Jesus demonstrate this to me?” What I really questioned: “Did Jesus ever take a hiatus?”
I broached this subject slightly in a previous post about REST. Jesus rested. He took time away from crowds to pray. He invited his disciples to do the same.
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Mark 6:30-32
At another time in his ministry, Jesus went on ‘hiatus’ with only three of his followers:
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love.” Mark 9:2-4,7
To anyone else (besides the three disciples with him), Jesus would have appeared to be on a hiatus. But His absence was a time of strengthening and restoration. A time of receiving hope and encouragement from Elijah and Moses. A time for God to bestow his Grace once again. This “hiatus” was necessary for Jesus to continue his ministry and complete the work He had begun.
So, I found my answer – Yes, Jesus went on hiatus.
And came “back” even more prepared to fulfill His Father’s purposes.
I, too, will do the same.
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During my hiatus, I did participate in a three-week spiritual writing class that exposed me to using writing “prompts” in new ways. This class was part of the “private times of reflection” I mentioned at the start of this post. A poem surfaced from that experience: Sacred in the Ordinary.