Disclaimer: I realize that this post is a little biased. Just account for that as you read though… although I may be writing truth, it’s easy to say when you’re in the position I’m in.

It’s impossible to over-estimate the value of rest in a person life.

I’ll admit it, I’m a work-a-holic. I love my work. I love to work. I find myself working when I’m supposed to be resting because I get lost in the excitement or intrigue. It’s incredibly healthy to have a job that you love and to love working, but having boundaries is so significant.

Here’s where things get unhealthy:

I neglect sleep. I really don’t need as much sleep as much as some people. I can function well on 5-6 hours of sleep and there are times where I might get by even on 2-3 hours of sleep. I’ve worn it as a badge of honor, but that’s me being foolish. All the studies say that humans need 7-8 hours of sleep to perform at their best, regardless of how you’re wired.

I neglect my health. My work requires a great deal of time in front of a computer and breakfast, lunch and coffee meetings. This is the perfect set-up for a sedentary lifestyle means that I’m on a path toward weight gain, lifestyle-related health issues and possibly an early death.

I neglect relationships. I’ve made it a point to prioritize my family and in that space, I’m doing pretty well (always room for improvement though). I love the staff that I work with and I have close relationships with them, but I find that I have few friendships outside the ministry. What’s that about? It’s like I don’t have time for others if they’re on part of the agenda for the work I’m trying to get done.

I’m on week four of a four week vacation. I haven’t checked my work email in 26 days. I brought 5-6 books to read while at the beach, books on ministry and strategy. I didn’t read any of them. I’ve slept in almost every day. One day, I took Titus swimming four times and another time, we stayed at the pool for almost 6 hours.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget this vacation. It’s been special time with my family and special time to just be and fully experience life. However, I feel that there is a part of life I’m experiencing in vacation that I should be experiencing more often than I am.

Here are some of the questions I’m asking myself this last week of vacation:

  • How do I incorporate more time for sleep in my crazy/busy life?
  • How do I protect time with my family better than I normally do?
  • How do I make an active lifestyle a priority even during the busy season (Easter, Christmas and Camp will return next year, but I only get one shot of life in this body)?
  • How do I prioritize time for making and maintaining friendships outside of work relationships?