Take a break

I have a confession to make. It isn’t something I am proud of. It isn’t something that I planned. If you would have asked me twenty years ago I’d id be in this place today, I would have laughed at you. What is my confession? I have a hard time relaxing.

Many moons ago I loved sitting down and watching movies. I collected DVDs for years and I would gladly sit and watch many of them over and over. It was a great way to relax and enjoy resting. I even had some that I would put on knowing that I would fall asleep while watching. It was comfortable.

Now, sitting still is very hard. It is not that I am up trying to be productive all the time. I do have plenty of things I want to get done, but the real issue is getting my mind to be quiet for long enough. Reassuring myself that it is ok to just chill.

Ok David, where are you going with this? Well, I am going to tell you.

At church a few weeks ago our pastor delivered a message called Take The Day Off. It was amazing. (Watch it here.) In it, he brought up a few points that I never really considered.

First, one of the Ten Commandments is about taking a day off from work. It doesn’t even mean going to church. It just means taking a day off and not working. The interesting part? It is a commandment just like not killing is. We don’t break the one about killing. We hardly ever take the rest one seriously. In short, God loves us and wants us to take a break once a week to recharge. It is so important God wrote it on a stone tablet.

Next, it is something that will catch up to you if you try to ignore it. Many people I know are burnt out. They work crazy hard and never take their foot off the gas. This is not damage that can be unwound quickly. We have to rest. We have to make it a weekly priority. How much time do we take off the end of our lives because we refuse to take care of ourselves now?

Another thing that struck me? The pastor is very unapologetic about taking his day off. It was refreshing to see. He told a story about someone who wanted his attention for something and said, “Pastor, I know tomorrow is your Sabbath (day off), but we really need you to do this.” His answer? “Ok, shall we go rob a bank and kill a few people while we are at it too? You are asking me to break a commandment, why not break a few more while we are at it?” His point? God said take a day off and he does…and we should too.

So, this week I am taking the week off. I am going to enjoy my family. I am going to eat some good food. I am going to watch a movie or two. My day job will be there when I get back. I am going to rest.

When was the last time you took a day of rest? Want to join me in making it a more regular habit? Admit it. You need it. We all do.