Last week I was unwell. Of itself this is not perhaps unusual but, for the first time in 15 years I took time out from work and went to bed. This also meant missing out on the Groundlevel leaders conference which is one of those times of the year to receive rather than give.
However, I actually believe that taking time to rest was just as important as going to the conference. You see, God has been talking to me this year about building in sabbath rest into my lifestyle. This is for recovery, recuperation and for personal renewal. I have started to do that and am already benefiting from it. However, I had not really allowed my body time to recover from the India trip and so it decided that it would take some time out without my agreement.
I believe it is crucial for all of us to build a rhythm of work and Sabbath rest into our lifestyle. This is important for us as people and for our well-being. It is also the way in which we were designed to function. It is God’s gift to us. To neglect this principle will almost inevitably result in sickness, in low productivity and, potentially, in a shortened life. We need to pace ourselves because, after all, we have eternity to live! As the song says, ‘we have all the time in the world’
God bless