Titans #4 Stop Working Now!

Here is something I am very passionate about, rest. Let’s be honest, when it comes down to it, the thing that probably gets the least amount of attention in your life is Sabbath. This is an ancient yet powerful idea. The first thing man experienced on day 7, (the day after he was created) was rest. (Gen. 2:2) Day seven was all about rest. Question, did God really need to rest? Was he tired? Worn out? Sleepy? Stressed? At the end of his rope? I am guessing no. The bible says he never sleeps or slumbers. (Ps. 121:4) This is not a contradiction. The reason I believe God rested on the seventh day was to be with his new most prized possession, humankind. God had to set the example for Adam that he needed to rest. Later we see God giving a commandment of clarity to the Israelites to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy. (Ex 20:8) There is a common sense about this one.

You need time to withdraw from the stresses of a normal work week. Seven days a week of work will destroy your body, your family and your quality of life. You were not meant to work seven days a week. Let me suggest to you four ideas that I believe should govern the idea of sabbath in your life.

#1 Divert Daily – you have to take every day and get away for a time. Don’t tell me you don’t have time. Whenever it works for you, morning, lunch, evening, doesn’t matter, you need time in the Word, prayer, time to write, etc EVERY DAY

#2 Withdraw Weekly – There is a natural rhythm to this. A week has a feel. It’s only one day. How would your relationships with your spouse, kids, family, boss be different if you could say no to your work for one day a week? Would they respect you more as a provider if you provided for them a little less and gave them more time to communicate love and care. Would you be more productive at work if you could get away?

#3 Abandon Annually – Every year, take a vacation. We love our vacations, but take a reasonable one. Not one that financially straps you to have to kill your self working to get out of debt from it. Or one that will prevent you from being generous later in the year when God tells you to give. Not one that will give you pictures from far off exotic places that you are still paying off as you are reading this. Why take a vacation that will own you for the next year? Getaway and keep it sensible. On a side note, regarding that vacation home you are looking at buying, stop comparing yourself to other people who have vacation homes they can’t afford and are now strapped because they lost their job, can’t sell them in this economy and make excuses for poor decision making. If we had as much faith in God as we did in the economic model of owning a vacation home we would have far more faith and take far more risk with it. Learn from others mistakes, bad decisions happen.  Don’t get trapped.

#4 Sabbatical – I know this sounds extreme, but what if you saved enough so you could take three to six months off every seven to ten years? Would it be possible for you? Whatever stage you are in life, whatever time frame you set, you need extended time to getaway and plan. You need to rest, be proactive about your skill development and evaluate what is important to you. Sabbatical does not mean you are being lazy waking up at noon and watching all the re-runs of sports center back to back to back. Sabbatical means a time of refocusing your skills and energy. Designing your days and preparing for when you re enter the workforce. It is a time to spiritually cultivate and rediscover disciplines of prayer and fasting. Maybe it will be a career change or a calling to go on a mission trip for 6 months. I’m not dogmatic about every seven years or the six month time frame, but you need to take one. I took a 3 month sabbatical after 10 years of working hard and I plan to take another one during my midlife crisis :).

Here is what I know: Life is too short to live stressed out with regrets of what could have been.  Learn from yesterday, focus today and do not be anxious about tomorrow. Now stop working and enjoy your Christmas