{"id":1783,"date":"2013-03-15T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2013-03-15T14:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidcprice.wordpress.com\/?p=1783"},"modified":"2013-03-15T09:00:59","modified_gmt":"2013-03-15T14:00:59","slug":"saving-daylight-part-3-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/saving-daylight-part-3-rest\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving Daylight, Part 3: Rest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Image\"<\/a>I want to finish this week of posts about “Saving Daylight” with some thoughts on rest.\u00a0 Friday is my day off; my day of rest.\u00a0 It’s the day that I have that I can get away from work, unplug “completely” and spend some time re-charging my batteries.\u00a0 So, as I write this, I’m kicked back with a cup of my home-roasted coffee, enjoying the sunshine and listening to chirping birds, welcoming in the springtime weather.<\/p>\n

Now, I said “completely” in that way because there are times when situations arise that require my action or presence.\u00a0 That’s part of my job and is expected.\u00a0 Nevertheless, this is generally a day I protect fiercely.<\/p>\n

What about you?\u00a0 Do you have time that is just YOURS?\u00a0 I wholeheartedly believe that if you are going to be the best you can be at what you do, you must master rest.<\/p>\n

I didn’t always believe that.\u00a0 There was a time when I didn’t need rest.\u00a0 OK, there was a time when I didn’t know<\/em> I needed rest.\u00a0 I could go 24\u2026alright, maybe 21\/7.\u00a0 Rest was highly<\/em> over-rated.\u00a0 That all came to a screeching halt when I ended up in the CCU of a hospital with stressed-induced atrial fibrillation.\u00a0 After that, I learned to build rest or “sabbath-time” into my life.\u00a0 I practiced stress-management that kept me from getting to “that place” again.<\/p>\n

Stress is like carbon monoxide: it’s deadly and odorless.\u00a0 You don’t always see it coming because it doesn’t always manifest itself in ways that you can detect until it’s too late.\u00a0 You don’t always get headaches or visible fatigue.\u00a0 Sometimes you do but you’re just too busy to notice them!\u00a0 So what do you do?<\/p>\n

Build in TIME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Point number 6 in Part 1<\/a> of this little series was the importance of finding and maintaining balance.\u00a0 That doesn’t happen unless you value rest.\u00a0 There must be down-time to help you set aside the busy-ness of life and evaluate where you are\u2026and maybe WHO you are!\u00a0 The biggest excuse I hear for not doing this is a lack of time.\u00a0 It didn’t take me long to realize spending three days in a hospital was a great waste of my time.\u00a0 If I can build in time of rest in order to prevent that kind of a waste of time, I’ll do it.\u00a0 More importantly, if resting can make me a better person while I’m doing all the necessary things in my life, I’ll do it.\u00a0 The question is, “How?”<\/p>\n

Yearly, weekly and daily<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people get a week or two off each year for vacation.\u00a0 Take it!\u00a0 I’m amazed at how many people I talk to who haven’t taken advantage of their vacation time, sometimes in years!<\/p>\n

Yearly, we need to take at least a few days away for a sort of sabbatical, giving the mind a chance to completely re-energize and re-focus.\u00a0 Even if you can’t afford to travel somewhere, take a stay-cation and at least unplug for a while.\u00a0 The world really will continue to turn and you will be better in your world for it.<\/p>\n

Now, some use their vacation time for mission trips.\u00a0 Am I saying you shouldn’t do that?\u00a0 Absolutely not!\u00a0 What I’m saying is you need time away from what you normally<\/em> do.\u00a0 There may be no better way for you to re-charge than to change up the pace of what you are doing and spend a week serving people who desperately need it.\u00a0 I think that’s great and can be exactly what you need.\u00a0 I would go further and recommend, if it’s possible, to include the entire family.<\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/a>Secondly, we need weekly time off.\u00a0 It’s the way you were designed.\u00a0 Scripture tells us that God created the world in six days and that on the seventh day He rested.\u00a0 Here’s a news flash for you: God didn’t need it.<\/em>\u00a0 He doesn’t get tired.\u00a0 He rested in order to lead by example; to demonstrate to us something that He values.\u00a0 He built us with that need.\u00a0 Work hard during your week, but take a day of sabbath time to re-charge.\u00a0 For some, like me, that can’t be Sunday.\u00a0 I am not a legal Sabbatarian, as some are.\u00a0 I believe we have been freed from the requirements of the Law with its limitations, but very much embrace the principle of what God was teaching us: Our bodies are not designed to work for seven days\u2026REST!<\/p>\n

Finally, we need daily<\/em> rest.\u00a0 Not only do we need enough sleep (which is probably my Achilles heel!), but we also need breaks during the day.\u00a0 Sometimes, it’s too easy to get into the groove and work from morning until night without thinking about it.\u00a0 Take a breather.<\/p>\n

Start in the morning.\u00a0 Build in time to sit quietly, to reflect on Scripture and to pray.\u00a0 Ask the Spirit to empower you throughout the day and make you as productive as you can be in a way that honors Christ.\u00a0 Psalm 46:10 instructs us to “Be still and know that I am God.”\u00a0 I think that’s another reason God told us to build in rest.\u00a0 How often I fail to reflect on or “remember” that He is God when I get so busy.<\/p>\n

I believe it’s also important to stop for 10 or 15 minutes every few hours to completely change channels.\u00a0 Take a walk or put the legs up and take a power nap. If you’ve got time, spend it on a hobby or, if you don’t have time, visit some of your favorite websites about your hobby.\u00a0 I will often do that because it’s a way for me to “engage” in those things that bring me relaxation when I have more time.<\/p>\n

Don’t waste your rest<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/a>There are times when we really do need to just “veg”.\u00a0 However, I want to wrap this up by encouraging you not to waste your rest.\u00a0 Your time, even your rest time, is still valuable.\u00a0 Find some things that give you rest while still serve a productive role in your overall development.\u00a0 Read a good book, play a sport, play with your kids (which time with your family should be a priority anyway) or go for a run.\u00a0 Try to make the time you spend in front of the tube a very minimum.\u00a0 We all enjoy it from time to time, but we have to remember, we will never get that time back.\u00a0 So, ask whether or not that is something worth giving away your valuable time to.<\/p>\n

Whatever you do, rest is a valuable part of it.\u00a0 Saving daylight is not about burning the midnight oil, but about redeeming our limited time, living intentionally and saving us from burnout.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tTweet<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I want to finish this week of posts about “Saving Daylight” with some thoughts on rest.\u00a0 Friday is my day off; my day of rest.\u00a0 It’s the day that I have that I can get away from work, unplug “completely” and spend some time re-charging my batteries.\u00a0 So, as I write this, I’m kicked back…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[4,16,19],"tags":[45,386,402],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3jKZO-sL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1747,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/saving-daylight-part-2-loving-well\/","url_meta":{"origin":1783,"position":0},"title":"Saving Daylight, Part 2: Loving Well","date":"March 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the last few days, my thoughts have been consumed by a lovely lady within our church who is nearing the end of her journey on earth.\u00a0 I've thought about the relationship she has had with her devoted husband for 63 years and the love they have shared.\u00a0 I've thought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian Living"","img":{"alt_text":"Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidcprice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/savingdaylight1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1740,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/saving-daylight-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1783,"position":1},"title":"Saving Daylight","date":"March 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"(You can watch the message from March 10, 2013 here, called....yeah, Saving Daylight) What are you doing with your time? If I were to ask you where your time is spent each day, unless your life is simply consumed by just one or two things, you probably would have a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian Living"","img":{"alt_text":"Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidcprice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/savingdaylight.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2878,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/bonhoeffer-the-cost-of-discipleship\/","url_meta":{"origin":1783,"position":2},"title":"Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Discipleship","date":"April 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Started reading The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer today.\u00a0 I didn't get through the introduction before I came across a great quote: When the Bible speaks of following Jesus, it is proclaiming a discipleship which will liberate mankind from all man-made dogmas, from every burden and oppression, from every\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4608,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/my-princess-at-50\/","url_meta":{"origin":1783,"position":3},"title":"My Princess at 50","date":"August 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I celebrate this wonderful lady. It may be her birthday but I have clearly received the gift. I am grateful that God has given me the privilege of walking together with her on her journey for over half of these years and I look forward to the rest. We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birthday"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidcprice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/img_6975.jpg?fit=734%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2369,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/happy-20th-anniversary-karen-price\/","url_meta":{"origin":1783,"position":4},"title":"Happy 20th anniversary, Karen Price","date":"July 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Twenty years ago today, God blessed me by making this beautiful woman say, \"I do.\" :-) How thankful I am that He did! It has certainly not always been easy, but it has most definitely been worth it! I love you, Karen. Thank you for loving me. Happy 20th anniversary.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidcprice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/wpid-Photo-Jul-24-2013-1222-AM.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2927,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/a-stitch-in-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":1783,"position":5},"title":"A Stitch in Time","date":"April 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is the day. At 2:45, I go into surgery for the second time to get this left shoulder fixed. \u00a0I appreciate all of you who have said you will pray for me. \u00a0Also, pray for my surgeon, Dr. Dorizas, a godly man I'll \"introduce\" you to later, if I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health and Exercise"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}