It's Saturday of Easter weekend. The second day of a three-day, world-changing event. Saturday is a sealed tomb. Saturday is quiet. Saturday is filled with the unknown. The historical account of Jesus Christ's trial, beatings, crucifixion, and resurrection unfold on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday timeline; a 3-day theme if you will. There is actually lots of 3-day themes in the Bible. Joseph was thrown into a pit by jealous brothers and retrieved in 3-days. Jonah was in the belly of a giant fish for 3-days. Abraham journeyed to the top of a mountain during a 3-day period believing he would sacrifice his son, Isaac, at the conclusion of the journey. I'm sure there are others, but you get the point.
The 3-day theme can be divided into: A day of great battle and struggle, a day of silence and waiting, and a day of victory. With all of the Biblical accounts and other non-Biblical yet historical 3-day stories of triumph, we have what those that experienced them first hand did not, knowledge of the third day. Joseph sat in that pit and Jonah in the belly of that fish on a second day in the torture of silence and unknown. Abraham climbed the mountain on the second day tortured by the thought of what he thought he was being asked to do. The disciples hid and mourned in disbelief that Christ was gone. We do not spend a lot of time thinking about the second day and as a result, we underestimate the importance of the second day. We dramatize the first day because it is where there is great battle and conflict. We celebrate the third day because it is where victory is claimed. But what do we do with the silence of the second day? Often, we skim right past it missing a critical day.
The second day is where seeds are planted, commitments are rooted, and faith is demonstrated.
*this excerpt was writing on 4/11/20 and it’s surreal to read now.
The second day of silence is a unique space that we do not often find ourselves in. But when we do, if we handle it carefully, we can plant important seeds, we can deepen important commitments, and we can demonstrate life-changing faith.
When you find yourself in the silence of a second day season, just remember that Sunday is coming.
*Bonus content: Here are some resources if you’d like to dig deeper on this topic - ‘The Great Omission by Dallas Willard, ‘Who is This Man? By John Ortberg, ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’ by John Mark Comer
The 3-day theme can be divided into: A day of great battle and struggle, a day of silence and waiting, and a day of victory. With all of the Biblical accounts and other non-Biblical yet historical 3-day stories of triumph, we have what those that experienced them first hand did not, knowledge of the third day. Joseph sat in that pit and Jonah in the belly of that fish on a second day in the torture of silence and unknown. Abraham climbed the mountain on the second day tortured by the thought of what he thought he was being asked to do. The disciples hid and mourned in disbelief that Christ was gone. We do not spend a lot of time thinking about the second day and as a result, we underestimate the importance of the second day. We dramatize the first day because it is where there is great battle and conflict. We celebrate the third day because it is where victory is claimed. But what do we do with the silence of the second day? Often, we skim right past it missing a critical day.
The second day is where seeds are planted, commitments are rooted, and faith is demonstrated.
*this excerpt was writing on 4/11/20 and it’s surreal to read now.
It's Saturday of Easter weekend during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Churches will not gather in person. Unemployment is skyrocketing. Family and friends battle with a crippling disease. We do not have an end in sight. We are in a global 'second day' and the silence of the unknown is deafening.
'Faith is deepened in times of silence.' - Dallas Willard
I came across the concept of 'the silence of second day seasons' in readings from Dallas Willard, Andy Stanley, and John Mark Comer. While none of these authors outright described it as I am, the theme of their perspectives overwhelmed me because it aligned with what many of us have experienced during COVID-19.
How do you plant seeds, root commitments, deepen faith, and remain persistent during the silence ‘second day seasons’?
PAUSE YOUR WORK - In the face of society coming to a grinding halt we are all feel unsettled, a restlessness, and 'ants in our pants'. Like I would tell my kids, 'knock it off.' That feeling is exhausting valuable energy that could be spent in more productive ways. Be ok with the fact that for the time being your goals, dreams, and plans are paused. John Maxwell says the key to sustained excellence is not 'work-life' balance. It is recognizing busy times and slow times and never confusing the two. When circumstances of your life force you into a slow season, don’t let the fear of missing out (good ‘ol FOMO) ruin the rest that can come with a pause.
PRIORITIZE THE WORD - During a slow time, read more from the Bible than you normally would. Or maybe start reading it for the first time! It is the most consistent and accessible form of communication we have from God. Proverbs 1:7 states that the beginning of all knowledge begins with fear (understanding, knowledge, and respect) of the Lord. The best way to figure out complicated things is to learn more things about the Creator of the universe and how he designed you to live your life.
PARTNER WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE - ‘The two ways a person improves themself is the books they read and the people they interact with.’ - Truett Cathy, founder of Chick Fil A Consider what the 12 disciples and followers of Jesus did on that Saturday of Easter weekend. They gathered together. It was deathly silent. They were ruined by the crucifixion of their Savior. They huddled up to console each other, to think together, to ask questions that had no answers. It was their partnership that held them together even if when it felt like it had all come apart. Identify people in your network or on social media that can have an encouraging effect on you and connect with them. In the day and age of email and text messaging, don’t. Pick up the phone and call someone. Even better, FaceTime them. Even better, schedule coffee together. Connecting and re-connecting with these people is a great way to fill in the silence of the second day.
PREPARE TO RETURN TO THE FIGHT - The point of halftime in an athletic contest is to pause, adjust your plans, and restore your energy so that you can go back out and fight. Second days always give way to third days and beyond third days is the continuation of the battle. After Joseph of the Old Testament was pulled from the pit by his brothers, the remainder of his story unfolds leading all the way to him becoming second in command in Egypt and ultimately saving the known world from a famine. The historical account of Christ's Resurrection was the beginning of more than 2000 years of Christ-followers positively influencing the world that exists to this day. Theologian Dallas Willard would exterminate the word Christian if he could because so many people and things have been labeled ‘Christian’ that aren’t. Check the history books. The true followers of Christ have been caring for human kind since the day Christ arose from the grave.
'Faith is deepened in times of silence.' - Dallas Willard
I came across the concept of 'the silence of second day seasons' in readings from Dallas Willard, Andy Stanley, and John Mark Comer. While none of these authors outright described it as I am, the theme of their perspectives overwhelmed me because it aligned with what many of us have experienced during COVID-19.
How do you plant seeds, root commitments, deepen faith, and remain persistent during the silence ‘second day seasons’?
PAUSE YOUR WORK - In the face of society coming to a grinding halt we are all feel unsettled, a restlessness, and 'ants in our pants'. Like I would tell my kids, 'knock it off.' That feeling is exhausting valuable energy that could be spent in more productive ways. Be ok with the fact that for the time being your goals, dreams, and plans are paused. John Maxwell says the key to sustained excellence is not 'work-life' balance. It is recognizing busy times and slow times and never confusing the two. When circumstances of your life force you into a slow season, don’t let the fear of missing out (good ‘ol FOMO) ruin the rest that can come with a pause.
PRIORITIZE THE WORD - During a slow time, read more from the Bible than you normally would. Or maybe start reading it for the first time! It is the most consistent and accessible form of communication we have from God. Proverbs 1:7 states that the beginning of all knowledge begins with fear (understanding, knowledge, and respect) of the Lord. The best way to figure out complicated things is to learn more things about the Creator of the universe and how he designed you to live your life.
PARTNER WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE - ‘The two ways a person improves themself is the books they read and the people they interact with.’ - Truett Cathy, founder of Chick Fil A Consider what the 12 disciples and followers of Jesus did on that Saturday of Easter weekend. They gathered together. It was deathly silent. They were ruined by the crucifixion of their Savior. They huddled up to console each other, to think together, to ask questions that had no answers. It was their partnership that held them together even if when it felt like it had all come apart. Identify people in your network or on social media that can have an encouraging effect on you and connect with them. In the day and age of email and text messaging, don’t. Pick up the phone and call someone. Even better, FaceTime them. Even better, schedule coffee together. Connecting and re-connecting with these people is a great way to fill in the silence of the second day.
PREPARE TO RETURN TO THE FIGHT - The point of halftime in an athletic contest is to pause, adjust your plans, and restore your energy so that you can go back out and fight. Second days always give way to third days and beyond third days is the continuation of the battle. After Joseph of the Old Testament was pulled from the pit by his brothers, the remainder of his story unfolds leading all the way to him becoming second in command in Egypt and ultimately saving the known world from a famine. The historical account of Christ's Resurrection was the beginning of more than 2000 years of Christ-followers positively influencing the world that exists to this day. Theologian Dallas Willard would exterminate the word Christian if he could because so many people and things have been labeled ‘Christian’ that aren’t. Check the history books. The true followers of Christ have been caring for human kind since the day Christ arose from the grave.
The second day of silence is a unique space that we do not often find ourselves in. But when we do, if we handle it carefully, we can plant important seeds, we can deepen important commitments, and we can demonstrate life-changing faith.
When you find yourself in the silence of a second day season, just remember that Sunday is coming.
*Bonus content: Here are some resources if you’d like to dig deeper on this topic - ‘The Great Omission by Dallas Willard, ‘Who is This Man? By John Ortberg, ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’ by John Mark Comer
‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart and they have three teen age children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for all sorts of inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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