Relax - Guilt Free

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Relax - Guilt Free

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A 1961 hit song and musical were titled Stop the World—I Want to Get Off. Do you ever feel like that? By the requirements of Western culture, we live in a world of 24/7 connectivity. It demands constant success. There is often too little time for leisure, play, prayer or contemplation in our lives.

Young people today often share these frustrations: "I never have enough time for me!" "How can I relax, I have too much to do!" "I should be accomplishing something. I feel guilty when I relax." Increasingly many resort to alcohol and drugs to escape the pressure. To make matters worse, God—if He's thought of at all—is reduced to barely fitting into one's schedule.

No matter how "well meaning" our purpose in life, if we press forward with our work to continually accomplish without proper balance, we become enslaved. William McNamara, author of The Human Adventure, put it this way: "Possibly the greatest malaise in our country today is our neurotic compulsion to work."

Study, work, employment, tasks and "to do" lists are by themselves not wrong. In fact, working is a good thing—vital even. However, if we place too many demands on ourselves—or if we allow others do so—then we can lose touch with one of the greatest gifts God gives to mankind: rest and relaxation.

Our world needs a different philosophy of work. Work alone does not provide the identity or value we must each gain from understanding who we are in relationship to our Creator. It's important that we make time for proper rest.

Work misconceptions and the need for balance

Here are some wrong ideas about work that are now commonplace:

· Since work is good, the more work you do the better person you are.
· Work's purpose is to make enough money to buy things that make you happy.
· Those who don't work all the time are problematic and lazy.
· Your work identifies who you are.
· The Bible tells us that work is the most important thing we can do.

Even well-meaning Christians can rationalize their compulsive work habits by feeling that they're working for God—so they must always be "doing something." Society places far too much value on net worth, financial security and careers.

For decades, I operated my own company. There were always deadlines, projects, people to talk to and calls to return. One day it occurred to me that my life was running me instead of the other way around.

Our Creator knows the tendencies of human beings. He knows that with all of life's demands, a great many people would, if it were up to them, work all their waking hours—never taking time to rest or relax. Consequently, as Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man …" (Mark 2:27). God created the Sabbath—His day of rest—to keep man balanced and in contact with Him.

A godly, balanced life requires both work and rest—time for labor and time for rejuvenation.

Sadly, our modern media has done much to shatter the truth about true leisure. Its definition is basically, "You must buy something or go somewhere to be happy." That's a wrong concept altogether.

By rest, I don't mean a spending trip—though enjoying the fruit of one's labor can be part of proper rest. Nor do I mean sleep or just doing nothing. Rather, I'm talking about living a deeper, fuller, complete life.

How to relax—guilt free

In his book The Adventure of Living, physician and author on pastoral counseling Paul Tournier stated, "Many people spend their entire lives indefinitely preparing to live." Here are some practical things to do to actually live more contentedly right now.

Don't avoid today—live it! Constantly wanting to live in the future, seeking things you don't yet have or pushing harder to achieve those things unsettles the soul. Enjoy each day because "this is the day the Lord has made" (Psalm 118:24)—enjoy it and live!

Slow down! Take time out to enjoy the aroma of the world around you. Look at the creation. Listen for sounds you often miss. Get out of the fast lane of life; sit on a park bench and take in the rays.

Once in Central America I sat on a plastic chair in an alley outside a home, let the sun shine on my face and body and then watched the birds as they scampered to and fro on the ground picking up treasures. That day I will never forget.

Be thankful! Gratitude is an essential key to peace and calm in our lives. One of the greatest principles of relaxation and leisure is that of being consistently grateful. God inspired the apostle Paul to write, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, emphasis added).

In my travels I spend time with a lot of happy, joyous people, who have very little and yet are so thankful to have what they have. I've relaxed with them and been refreshed by simply sitting and listening for hours about the good things God has blessed them with.

Don't take yourself so seriously. Many in this life spend half their time developing a reputation and the other half protecting it. In our society we're taught early that to be a success we must work hard and continually prove ourselves to everyone around us.

However, Jesus Christ reminded His students to be childlike. Children take time to laugh and don't take themselves too seriously.

Once while dining out with friends, the waiter asked us, "How can you be having this much fun, laughing, when no alcohol has been served at your table?" Lesson: You don't need drugs or alcohol to enjoy life and laugh happily with friends.

Dismiss the guilt. If you find yourself feeling guilty when you try to relax, rest, muse, ponder or enjoy life around you, stop thinking that way. Realize there's no reason to feel guilty about this.

Genuine guilt arises from doing something wrong. Relaxation, leisure and reconnecting with God and life around us are not wrong and are no cause for guilt—assuming, of course, that we are rightly devoting time and energies to the responsibilities we've committed to (that important balance again).

Consider how King David in the Bible wrote often of musing, pondering and meditating about God and his relationship with Him: "I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds" (Psalm 77:12). David expressed no guilt or stress for that "down time," as some would call it. He also understood that God's weekly Sabbath was a whole day of that kind of rest for the body and spirit.

Think also about the episode of Mary and Martha in the New Testament—where taking the opportunity to sit and hear the words of Christ are shown to be more vital than keeping busy with physical service (Luke 10:38-41). While such service is needed to a degree, we must keep it in perspective.

We all need to do our work, take time to relax and stay balanced in doing so—thinking vertically about our personal relationship with God. Turn to Him, and He will help you "stop the world," enabling you to capture the balance of work and play—and to enjoy life to its full.

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Comments

  • Zoe

    Thanks for your post... and blessings. it really means a lot to me. and yes - Let us be led by the Spirit of God as we are His children. Good idea to sit down and disect the sriptures and build our day around that - Balanced! i will keep you up to date..

  • Artur Aleksandrov

    Zoe,
    I can relate to what you're saying. We all need to learn how to relax and learn how to work with our conscience. I find that sometimes my own conscience is overreacting, accusing or warning me of something it shouldn't. Conscience is a good thing, when it reminds and stimulates us to fulfill our obligations, to do what is right, but not when it's overreacting. I've noticed that unearned guilt associated with our conscience may be caused by lack of faith, resolve or understanding. It's OK if you disagree with other Sabbath keepers about some aspects of keeping the Sabbath. The Sabbath is God's creation, so we should turn first and foremost to Him for guidance. The important thing is that you discover the truths about the Sabbath through studying God's Word and then make personal firm decisions about the way you will keep it. First, find out the indesputable truths about the Sabbath and then build from there. Set a solid framework and use it to make decisions about the nuances, like going for a swim and relaxing on the couch. For example, if God clearly says in His Word that one of the reasons for the Sabbath is to provide rest, how can you feel guilty about relaxing on the sofa! Enjoy the rest God has given you! Ask God for understanding and let His Word form your convictions.
    I used to spend almost the whole Sabbath reading God's Word and spiritual literature, watching the sermons. By the end of the Sabbath my mind was "overwhelmed" and the result? The Sabbath was not a genuine delight. I've learned,through setting the right framework, that the Sabbath is meant to be balanced just as any other day. It's not good to fall into extremes. God gave us commandments for this day that should be honored but also - so much freedom! So, Zoe, I just want to tell you...Praise God, rest on your cozy sofa, enjoy God's blessing of food and fellowship with brethren, study God's Word with your kids,take time to ponder God's will and your priorities, give your loved one a massage, go ouside and behold God's mighty trees, beautiful flowers and melodies of birds - in other words, make God's special day complete! :)

    May God bless you with understanding, conviction and faith and keep you!

  • Zoe

    Hi there, I love your article .. but i am not sure if this guilt free day will ever fully arrive in this life... We so believe in the Sabbath. We've had wonderful ones, and fun filled ones and good ones... but it just seem to me that the ones that are not good - is the ones where we judge and condem ourselves about what we "do". every Sabbath my kids jump into the pool as soon as we get home from Church while i get lunch ready. this is ok with me. Never bothered me. My husband would watch 3ABN and this would never bother me. But lately when we talk to other Sabbath keepers it seems as if we are missing it all together. it seems like we are the only family that cant descern the difference between doing what we want to do and spending the entire day with God. i dont go to the shops or eat out on the Sabbath - but i do believe it is ok to have a swim. and i do beleive it is ok to rest on the coach...but others differ from me... perhaps i am just honest enough with myself to say - i cant spend 24 hours consistantly with God. i do think, meditate and have Godly discussions on Him and with Hims - as much as i possibly can on the Sabbtath. When the list of do's and dont's come out then i sometimes wish i never knew about the Sabbath. In the beginning it was such a fantastic day... no condemnation...but lately it seems as if I am bieng robbed of the freedom of keeping the Sabbath...Enjoying the day with my hevenly Father and my family. So to sum it up - the more i try to keep it holy - the more i realise i cant...therefore I am even more in need of Jesus Christ.

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