Working long hours and not taking a day off or vacation seems to be a badge of honor for some TC staff members. More by actions than words, we tell ourselves and others things such as:
- If you don’t work 70 hours a week you’re a lazy Christian.
- Burn out for Jesus!
- Everyone is depending on me.
- If I don’t do it everything will fall apart.
We are doing no one a favor by pushing ourselves relentlessly. by The truth is when if we don’t take rest, take time to recharge and rest every area of our lives begins to suffer.
- We suffer:
- Physically – the stress and deprivation of rest affects our health.
- Emotionally – you feel increasingly overwhelmed and negative emotional reactions increase
- Spiritually – our intimacy with God and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit wanes. We become more susceptible to temptation.
- Mentally – clarity of thought and the ability to focus diminishes
- Relationships suffer:
- We neglect the ones we love. Friendships become distant. Students become annoyances.
- Ministry effectiveness suffers- all our extra hours and labor only decreases our impact
- Our influence is lost or worse, is negative influence – this is the point that ties it together with legacy. We are modeling for our students the kind of lifestyle that a Christian should live.
We teach our students about being good spouses and parents. We teach about Sabbath and finding rest in God. We teach them about a balanced healthy lifestyle. But, what do we model? What we model is what we are REALLY teaching. That will be our legacy.
Discuss – Evaluate – Execute:
- Do you take your day off?
- Do you take vacation?
- Do you find regular quiet time with God?
- Do you spend time with your family?
- Do you have hobbies and recreation that fuel your tank?
- Are you regularly working less than 50 hours a week?
- Develop a plan of action for any question that you answered “no” to.
