Application: Taking a Personal Shmita Inventory
So, what do we actually do with all of this information, in our modern lives? You may not own a vineyard or a wheat field, but you do carry within you a kind of inner terrain. And like the land, it needs tending. It needs rest. And every once in a while, it needs to lie fallow.
Here’s how to take a Personal Shmita Inventory—a self-check on your internal soil health. This isn’t homework; this is soulwork.
1. Ask Yourself: What’s Been Over-Farmed?
What area of your life have you been pushing without pause?
- Your work?
- Your parenting?
- Your social calendar?
- Your emotional caretaking of others?
Make a short list. These are the fields where you’ve been plowing without rest. And they’re likely the areas where you’re most depleted.
2. Name What Nutrients Are Missing
Every soil needs nutrients. So do you.
- Do you need more stillness?
- More play?
- More sleep?
- More purposeful connection?
Name three things you’re missing—not in a judgmental way, but like a curious farmer would examine dry soil and its composition. What’s not being fed?
3. Ask: Where Can I Let Go of Control?
The essence of Shmita is surrender. You can’t rest if you’re still trying to micromanage the field.
- What’s one area where you can practice letting go, just a little?
- Where can you stop pushing, even if it feels uncomfortable?
Maybe you say no to an unnecessary meeting. Maybe you don’t volunteer for the fifth time this month. Maybe you leave the laundry and take a nap instead. (It will still be there. Sadly.)
4. Set One Sacred Boundary
Rest doesn’t happen by accident—it happens by design. Shmita was scheduled. So, schedule yours.
- Choose one boundary to protect your inner soil.
- This might be “No work emails after 7 p.m.” or “One tech-free hour every weekend.”
Call it your Shmita hour. Honor it like it’s holy—because it is.
5. Trust That Rest Bears Fruit You Can’t See Yet
Finally, remember: the results of rest aren’t instant. A fallow field looks empty before it comes alive again. So don’t measure your worth by what you produce in the pause. Just let yourself be.
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Sources
29. Brown, Brené. The Gifts of Imperfection. Hazelden Publishing, 2010
