What is Fallow Ground?

A blog title explanation

I promise future posts will contain more content about what I’m actually doing (which is probably what you actually signed up for), not just thinking, but….first things first, I owe an explanation on the weirdly specific and agriculturally themed blog title. In case you were concerned, don’t worry, I’m not suddenly living off the grid and becoming a homesteading guru (respect for those that want to). So what the heck does “fallow” mean and how does this apply to my time off from work?

Fallow ground is simply ground left to rest, regenerate, restore. It is the intentional decision to not plant or cultivate within that ground for a period of time to allow the soil to replenish its nutrients so that it can once again be fruitful.

While this is a farming technique, the concept is drawn from what God has to say about the Sabbath (something many of us fail to practice regularly, me included).

“For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.” Leviticus 25:3-5

While I don’t have physical land that I’m letting rest, this time away from work is like letting the grounds of my heart, soul, and ever busy mind lie fallow for a while in the intentional effort to renew and replenish.

It’s no secret that “sabbatical” is taken from the word “sabbath”, so in my mind it was only fitting that I aimed to use this time doing things that refined my soul and renewed my spirit as the grounds of my everyday life lie fallow for a season.