Tag Archives: honor the sabbath

April 13, 2020 · 5:59 AM

Slowing Down

I like to say that I’m one of the busiest people I know. I hate down time and being unproductive. It’s been that way since I was a kid. I remember hating taking showers or even having to go to the restroom because they were wasting my time. I grew up to work for a company that embraced busyness and expected it. Most people there didn’t just work 9-5. They took work home and did it in the evening and at night at the expense of family time. With high expectations of busyness and productivity, I thrived and felt at home. Busyness has become a badge of honor, not just at that company, but in our world. We’re constantly on the go, juggling more balls than we can handle, and we’re teaching it to our kids.

I think that’s why so many of us are struggling with being quarantined with this pandemic. It’s forcing us to slow down and rest. It has fundamentally altered our life and schedule, and so many people are feeling unproductive because of it. I believe it’s part of God’s plan to make us rest and reset though. He’s the one who instituted a day of rest even before the fall of man, but we haven’t been good about honoring that commandment. To me, this is like God slowing us down to teach us that life goes on even if you’re not busy. The bonus is that you get to rest and reset your priorities in the process.

Psalm 23 is one of the most famous passages in scripture, but have you really listened to the 2nd and 3rd verses? They say, “He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life)” (AMP). The way I memorized it said, “He MAKES me lie down…” God’s plan for us is not to be busy, but to restore us and to refresh us. If we won’t take the time to do it, He’ll lead us into those places of rest. If you’re going nuts during this time, change your perspective to see that God is leading you to green pastures so that you can get unbusy and rest. Let Him refresh your life and help you to reset how you live going forward.

Photo by Hector Gomez on Unsplash

If you’d like to read up on how to do that better, my friend Dr. Garland Vance wrote a book called “Gettin’ Unbusy” to help you. Buy it here.

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October 15, 2014 · 8:03 AM

Take A Break

Do you ever have those days where you are just drained? You know, the days where the alarm clock goes off and you wonder if you even slept. You don’t want five more minutes, you want five more hours! It seems like being tired is more and more the norm for people. As technology improves, we have become more efficient in our work. That efficiency has translated to having to do more work, not less. Our minds consume more information in a shorter amount of time than in any other point in history.

It’s no wonder our bodies and our minds are tired. We are exhausted, but are too afraid to take off work because the amount of work that will pile up while we are out. I know people who take a vacation, but work remotely while on it. The vacation is just really working away from the office. So many of us have put work above our own health and our families. I understand needing to make a living, but don’t forget to make a life while you’re at it. Every once in a while you need a break from all the mental and physical stresses you put on your body.

I’m reminded that Creation was hard work. God out all He had into and still took a break. He took a day to rejuvenate and to rest. He has encouraged us to do the same since then. One of the Ten Commandments was, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” The root word for Sabbath means to rest from labor according to the Blue Letter Bible. God wanted us to just breathe and relax one day a week. He didn’t design our bodies to run 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

When our bodies have had enough, it’s ok to take a break. It’s ok to put down the technology that keeps you connected and the information flowing. I’ve found that when I take a break, the world keeps on moving without me, work still gets done and the world won’t fall apart. It’s an humbling reminder that it doesn’t need me in order to keep going. Life will continue after you and I are gone. The world will go on. There’s no use in burning ourselves out. We have to think about the long haul.

When I get tired and worn out, I remember Psalms 73:26. It says, “My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; He is all I ever need.” It requires me ask why I’m weak. Is it because I’m doing eternal things or because I’m doing temporary things? Either way, I need to take sabbatical and rest every now and then. When I’m recharged I’m able to make a bigger difference at work and for the Kingdom. It’s ok to take a break. In fact, God requires it. Schedule it and make it happen.

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