Give Me a Break!

“Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength…it is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.”   ~Charles Spurgeon

Many years ago there was a commercial on TV where a woman looked visibly stressed out as her kids were clamoring around her, the dog was barking, the doorbell was ringing, and supper was burning on top of the stove. In the middle of all of that commotion, she would dramatically cry out, “Calgon! Take me away!” (Remember that??) The next scene would show her relaxed and smiling as she blissfully bathed her cares away in her Calgon Bubble Bath. (Presumably in a locked bathroom that was soundproof!) While the commercial may be a bit humorous, I think most women can relate all too well to the feeling of being uptight, overwhelmed, and worn out. A relaxing one hour bubble bath with no interruptions starts looking pretty good!

One of my good friends had a handle on this problem. She would designate a couple days of the month as her “sanctuary days.” She worked full time so these usually fell on a Saturday. These were scheduled days for her, as in she literally wrote them on her calendar! On these sanctuary days, she would sleep in for starters. She usually stayed in her PJ’s because she was not going to leave the house (for anything!). Her phone was turned off, sometimes to the consternation of friends and family who needed to get in touch with her, but that was part of the point of the sanctuary day – no interruptions or distractions such as ringing phones or text notifications. She would do something on that day that was completely enjoyable or relaxing to her such as reading a good book, watching a movie marathon, or working on craft or sewing projects. She would light her candles, listen to enjoyable music, and savor some special treats to eat. The whole point of the day was to relax her mind and body so she would be rejuvenated and refreshed to tackle life once again.

I believe she was onto something. She was tapping into the principle of rest which happens to be biblical. When God created the world, He did so in six literal days, and then the Bible says on the seventh day, He rested. God was finished with His work of creation, and did not do any work on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:2-3) He put this principle of rest into place in the Law of Moses when He said, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work.” (Exodus 20:9-10) God understands the need for us to rest.

I believe one of the reasons we don’t take time to rest as we should is because we won’t give ourselves permission to do so. We feel guilty for taking any time off for ourselves, especially when there are so many important things to do. I once read an acronym for BUSY which defined it as Being Under Satan’s Yoke. You might look at that and think, “Yikes!” “I’m not under Satan’s yoke; I’m doing good things!” But at what cost physically or maybe spiritually? Elijah was a mighty prophet of God who faced down 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel during a contest to prove whose God was real, and he won a great victory that day by showing the people of Israel that Jehovah was the one true and living God. (I Kings 18:20-40) You would think Elijah would be on a spiritual mountaintop after this event, but in fact, we read in the very next chapter that his zealous work for the Lord had left him drained, exhausted, and depressed. He was sleep deprived and hungry, which contributed to his feelings of hopelessness and despair. In I Kings 19:5, we read that Elijah laid down under a tree and slept. After he had slept awhile, an angel awakened him, and told him to eat the food that had been provided for him. Elijah ate, and then laid down again and slept some more. Once again, the angel awakened him after a time and fed him again. (I Kings 19:5-8) Even a great prophet of God who had been busy in the work of the Lord reached a burnout point. He had to stop and rest and rejuvenate so he could continue to do the work God had planned for him to do. We are no different. If we don’t take the time to care for ourselves, our usefulness to others, our service to God, and even our health may suffer as a result. 

In Mark 6:30-31, the apostles returned to Jesus after being sent out on the limited commission. Jesus advised them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Why? Verse 31 explains that they were so busy coming and going, they had not even had time to eat. (Sound familiar?) Even the Lord Jesus himself took breaks from the thronging crowds and the work of his ministry to be alone with His father and to pray. (Luke 5:16)

Are you experiencing too much stress, sleep deprivation, or even burnout? Do you find it difficult to be all that you need to be for your work, your family…for God? Maybe it’s time you give yourself a break.