Do you ever feel guilty for taking a break from responsibilities? Many of us do. Yet we wind up overcommitted and exhausted. We get our “break” then due to illness, burnout, or perhaps from such a decline in performance that the responsibility is given to someone else for awhile.
God did not create us to be machines. Humans are not robots. He created us to need and to take breaks. We see this even in the simplicity of our body’s need for sleep – our bodies will literally break down without this regular break.
But what are other values in taking a break?
Breaks allow us to rest. Our bodies need rest, and so do our souls, emotions, and minds.
Breaks allow us to reset. When we are overly busy, everything starts to feel like a priority. We feel an urgency for things that actually are not of high importance. Breaks allow us to reset these priorities.
Breaks move us from one season of life into another. No one is called to handle the same responsibilities every day for their entire lives. There is a season of managing babies and diapers and naptimes. There is a different season for preparing for college and touring campuses. Whatever season we are in, we eventually need to break from one set of activities in order to pursue another.
Breaks can reconnect us with our Creator and Savior God. Scripture calls us to Sabbath – to set aside our work on a regular basis and simply relax and enjoy God and the good gifts He has given us. We experience Him much more deeply when we can “be still and know that [He] is God.” (Psalm 46)
Where do you need a break today? In this current season of life?