I’m taking our Elders through the book Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft this year in our monthly meetings. In today’s reflection, we focused on the leader’s pacing (not just walking back and forth in your living room). Our attention was concerning the attitude of most people today on their lives: “I’m so busy.”
Jesus was the most influential person to ever walk this planet and yet I don’t think of Him as being in a hurry. When I read about Jesus, it’s hard to picture Him as stressed out, in a fizz, and running in every direction like I am often times.
A while back, I had a pastor friend of mine say that he had been told by a Christian Psychologist, Dr. Richard Dobbins, to take time off every quarter of the year. That pastoring a large church was an extremely intensive career and so he said you need to rest and replenish each quarter. Since hearing that, I’ve really tried to plan quarterly breaks where I can be refreshed and rejuvenated.
God instituted the Sabbath for a reason. Here’s the four practices that Kraft gives in his book that he tries to follow:
- Take a full day off each week and limit my work hours.
- Plan a full day alone for spiritual retreat on a monthly basis.
- Make sure I have some fun each week doing things that make me laugh.
- Limit the number of evenings I am not at home.
I heard someone say, “If you’re burning the candle at both ends, you may not be as bright as you think you are.”
If Jesus took His disciples away to rest and retreat, God created a Sabbath day, and health, spiritual, and mental experts agree that you need to control your pace, then who are you and I to argue? Are you setting your pace? Does your schedule honor God?
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