Give me a break!!

During college, I took a class on Christian leadership. One major section of the class was focused on the value of rest and relaxation. Little did I know how vital this was. Throughout the Bible we see evidence of this truth. God instructs the Israelites numerous times to keep the Sabbath day holy. Later, we see Jesus retreating to pray and rest for hours on end. While the theme threads throughout the Bible, I guess I really never internalized the importance...that is until now.

Lately I have been exhausted - I guess you could say burned out. We work with the youth and children at the church and it is thoroughly enjoyable yet overwhelmingly exhausting. Church does not fulfill my spiritual needs because I am focused on the youth - who is sitting by them-self - who seems to need some extra attention. While in my mind this seems easy I go home exhausted. I forget to rest.

I do not know about you, but resting does not come easily for me. I often get depressed because I feel like I am wasting my day away. If I do not fulfill the items on my to-do list, what is the point of the day? It is easy to forget how imperative rest is. How can we serve others and minister to those in need if we do not take care of ourselves? Can a doctor heal the sick if he himself is to sick to show up? We do others a great injustice when we neglect our own well being.

It sounds so easy, and for me it is far from that. We have to make rest and relaxation a priority - it is high time we begin to heed God's commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. For me, my Sabbath is not Sunday. Sundays for me are filled with hyped up kids, obligations, and stress. Definitely anything but rest. For me, I take my Saturdays as a day for me. No cleaning - or to do lists. I do what brings me relaxation - rather that be a picnic, walk, or just some much needed alone time. Not only do we deserve this time, but we are better prepared to be the parent, sibling, spouse, or friend we need to be when we are rested.

I know you and everybody else are overworked, overstressed, and busy all the time. How could we possibly take an entire day to set our to - do lists aside? I often think the same thing, but the work I do when I am burned out is not worth a cent. It is only when I am rested that I can be productive. For our own good, for the good of others, and just to simply obey God's commands we have got to keep the Sabbath holy because every once in a while we need a little break!