1961 was not a good year for me! I was two and already on a crash course that would make Evel Knievel look like Winnie The Pooh! One day while on the playground I walked in front of a kid on a swing set. Not good! The impact left a scar on my forehead that is still visible. Swing set collisions pale in comparison to being run over by a car. That also happened in year two. Mom and dad were in the back of the house with a friend who had parked his car out front. A wanderer by nature, I meandered to the front yard and ended up standing in front of the car. I was probably admiring the scar on my forehead from the reflection in the chrome bumper when the family friend started his car, put it in gear, and proceeded to run right over me. It roughed me up, and scared my parents enough to rush me to the hospital. By that time, I was on a first-name basis with the staff. My kids get their good looks from their mother and all their stitches from me.
Have you ever been run over? Before saying a quick “NO,” take this test. If you answer, “yes” to these questions you may not have tire treads on your body, but I’ll guarantee you you’ve got burnout in your future.
- Is fatigue your constant companion?
- Are you missing too many of life’s precious moments?
- Do you fail to say, “yes” to the important because you say, “no” to the urgent?
- When you relax do you feel guilty?
Life moves at a frantic pace. How do we balance career, family, friends, a relationship with God, and time for ourselves all while running wide-open down the fast lane of life? We can’t! Racecars are designed for pedal-to-the-metal performance, but people are not. Go back to the beginning of time. God shows us that if we want to keep from blowing an engine, we must take some rest stops along the road of life.
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day. So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation. (Genesis 1:31-2:3 NLT)
God put the finishing touches on creation and said, “Whew, I’m beat. I’m going to Disney World! I’m going to take in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM and while I am there I’ll conquer Sea World too.” ABSOLUTELY NOT! God ceased activity.
Did God need the break? Of course not! He’s God. But he set a pattern for us to follow, a pattern of work then rest. Most of us have the work part down. It is the resting, the ceasing from activity that we find difficult.
Biblical rest is not just more time in bed. It is taking time to get spiritually refueled. Biblical rest is a morning at church followed by time on the back porch doing some serious soul-searching. These days move too fast! If we are going to survive, we must pull off the highway and take a rest stop along the road of life.
FOCAL POINT: Every time you see a stop sign today, let it serve as your reminder from God to rest!
Copyright © 2010 Tommy Kiedis