I Need a Break and So Do You!
I need a break, and so do you! Everybody needs a break sometime!
Even Jesus! Luke (5:15-16) says about him: “But the talk about him spread all the more; great crowds gathered to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. And from time to time he would withdraw to lonely places for prayer.”
Even God! “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work…” (Genesis 2:2)
If God and Jesus thought it important to take a break, how much more important for us to do the same in our fast paced day.
David Brooks recently wrote an article for Newsweek entitled, “Time to Do Everything Except Think.” He points out that with the advent of cell phones, pagers, e-mail, voice mail, etc. we are always in touch. There’s the rub! Brooks writes: “Never being out of touch means never being able to get away.”
He points out that we have become quite efficient at being able to scroll through and deal with all our messages and the hoard of information which is shoveled at us, but at what cost? Brooks writes:
I need a break, and so do you! Everybody needs a break sometime!
Even Jesus! Luke (5:15-16) says about him: “But the talk about him spread all the more; great crowds gathered to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. And from time to time he would withdraw to lonely places for prayer.”
Even God! “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work…” (Genesis 2:2)
If God and Jesus thought it important to take a break, how much more important for us to do the same in our fast paced day.
David Brooks recently wrote an article for Newsweek entitled, “Time to Do Everything Except Think.” He points out that with the advent of cell phones, pagers, e-mail, voice mail, etc. we are always in touch. There’s the rub! Brooks writes: “Never being out of touch means never being able to get away.”
He points out that we have become quite efficient at being able to scroll through and deal with all our messages and the hoard of information which is shoveled at us, but at what cost? Brooks writes:
The problem with all this speed, and the frantic energy that is spent using time efficiently, is that it undermines creativity. After all, creativity is usually something that happens while you’re doing something else: when you’re in the shower your brain has time to noodle about and create the odd connections that lead to new ideas. But if your brain is always multitasking, or responding to techno-prompts, there is no time or energy for undirected mental play.
I read an article a few years ago entitled something like, “I Like to Mow the Grass.” The author’s point was that since mowing grass required little mental effort, he could let his mind wander. He could reflect and think. He could have some of his most meaningful and creative moments. I can say, “Amen” to that. Some of my best sermons have been created while I have been mowing grass, or taking a shower, or doing some activity which allowed my mind to wander.
James D. Watson wrote: “It’s necessary to be slightly underemployed if you are to do something significant.” Watson spoke with the voice of experience. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962 for establishing DNA’s molecular structure which is the basis for heredity.
Do you feel like you aren’t getting anything significant accomplished? Well then, slow down, take a break, loaf a bit, quit trying to do so much. You’ll probably get a lot more important things accomplished and have a lot more fun doing it.
I’m going to the beach in a few weeks. Yippee
©2001 C. David Hess
James D. Watson wrote: “It’s necessary to be slightly underemployed if you are to do something significant.” Watson spoke with the voice of experience. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962 for establishing DNA’s molecular structure which is the basis for heredity.
Do you feel like you aren’t getting anything significant accomplished? Well then, slow down, take a break, loaf a bit, quit trying to do so much. You’ll probably get a lot more important things accomplished and have a lot more fun doing it.
I’m going to the beach in a few weeks. Yippee
©2001 C. David Hess
