For a long time, I resisted the idea of carrying a cell phone. But, as much as I have to communicate from the road, my cell phone has become essential.
It is battery operated, which means that it will not run indefinitely. And, it is no fun to be in a situation where you really need to communicate, and you find your cell phone DOA. So, every few days, I make sure to plug my cell phone into a charger, so it is good to go again.
Just as a cell phone needs down time to recharge, so do you and I. We need to take time for adequate rest and reflection. In fact, God created us that way.
Rest is one of the Sabbath principles that He built into our design plan at creation, because He did not intend for us to work all the time. In Genesis 49:15, God said that rest is a good thing.
Several years ago, I found myself with way too many commitments in too few days. I was nervous and tense about it. I was impatient with people, speeding toward every appointment, and feeling irritated at those unexpected but predictable interruptions that are part of everyday life. Before long, everything in my life reflected the tension of my harried coping style. It was becoming unbearable and agonizing.
One evening after supper, I distinctly remembered the wise words of my youngest son, Stedmon. When he was seven years old, he wanted to share something that happened at school that day.
In a breathless tone he said, “Mom, I want to tell you something, and I’ll tell you really, really fast.” Suddenly, realizing his frustration, I answered, “Son, you can tell me and you don’t have to tell me really, really fast. Say it slowly.”
I will never forget his answer: “Mom, then listen slowly.” His words taught me a valuable lesson I will never forget…to slow down.
Are you rushing headlong through the fast lane? If so, you are stressed, fatigued, impatient, irritable, and addicted to the adrenaline rush. At this rate, you’ll find yourself going over the edge or sending the people around you running for cover.
You have to stop to recharge. As much as you might not want to hear it, the truth is that your physical and emotional batteries cannot run indefinitely without a complete breakdown of all systems.
As Christians, often times we’re in too big of a rush and find ourselves spinning out of control. Next, comes the “crash and burn” phase, which we all want to avoid. However, there is a stress reduction prescription found in the Word of God. Mark 6:31 says, “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
Where can you go to get rest? Into the desert, a quiet place where you are isolated and inaccessible, with no interruptions, a place that shifts you, into down time. It’s the down time that recharges the battery of my cell phone. It’s the down time that allows my battery to reset, revitalize and renew. It is the down time that regenerates and rejuvenates my physical, emotional and spiritual batteries. If I don’t give my phone battery that recovery time, it eventually won’t work at all. The same applies to recharging our bodies with rest.
Though we may believe otherwise, resting is not a waste of time. Rather, it’s much like giving your body a mini-vacation to prepare for the next day, while it gives your brain a chance to sort things out.
And, much like the cell phone battery, without recovery time, eventually those systems will break down and fail. Rest has the effect of recharging all systems, so we can run again at full power.
As a card-carrying, ex-workaholic myself, I know how easy it is to fill every moment until there isn’t a spare second to breathe. While it may make us feel indispensible, its cost is enormous in emotional peace, in close relationships, and even in performance and creativity.
God created in us the need to take time out to rest and restore, so that in the end, we actually accomplish much more in much less time.
You may admit that you need rest. But, that won’t happen unless you make a non-negotiable commitment to do it. Make it part of your regular routine.
Stand back, re-examine your priorities, and literally schedule regular times to recharge. Write them on your calendar. For example, set a firm quitting time, a time when you step out of your normal routine and you do nothing but rest.
You may argue, “I’m too busy to take a time-out.” Well, I’m saying “You’re too busy not to.” Without balancing mechanisms such as rest and relaxation, you will literally burn out and be of little use to the kingdom of God.
Excerpts taken from the book: Gifted Inspirations: An Inspirational Treasury of Writings To Transform Your Thinking About Your Gift by Barbara Bryant, available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, West Bow Press.
