Before getting into full time Christian ministry, I worked part time at an electronics store selling computers, TVs, and other nifty gadgets. I was “programmed” to always recommend and stress the importance of surge protectors to go along with the customer’s purchase. Being the good boy I am, howbeit reluctantly, I gave the speech and sent many people home with a device that I was convinced was a total WASTE! I maintained that mindset for the next couple years until the unthinkable happened — POWER SURGE!
I will never forget the heart sinking feeling when one of the men on our staff called me and said he couldn’t get the computers and monitors working at church — I was hoping that he was just a moron and didn’t know how to turn them on, but boy was I in for a treat when I made it to the office! I learned that some construction had gone on at the church that day and the workers had manually shut off all the power. When they flipped it back on, a “voltage spike” shot right through the hearts of our lovely machines killing them all! In a sense, our beautiful Apple computers were given the electric chair …
Moving away from the electrical engineering field and into some Spiritual truth, loads and loads of people are wiped out in emotional and mental “voltage spikes” of their own. We ALL live extremely stressful, busy, and confusing lives. When the “storm” is just right and the stresses and obstacles of family, work, church, and other activities are all pulling at you in opposite directions — YOU BREAK!
Just like there are SURGE PROTECTORS for common electronics and appliances, God designed a unique surge protector for His people as well: REST
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. – Genesis 2:2
Did you know that 29% of American will experience some form of a mental breakdown this year? That is astonishing! The leading cause every time is from ANXIETY and FATIGUE. You know what prescription God prescribed to us? You got it — REST! Our Savior, Jesus, even took a vacation from time to time:
When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself ALONE. – John 6:15
There is nothing spiritual in “running on fumes”. When you do that in a car, you burn up the fuel line and damage your car! There is no way around it — to save yourself from completely breaking and being rendered ineffective for the future, you must learn to REST. I will be the first to admit, learning to STOP, BREATHE, and REGROUP is a very difficult thing for me. Believe it or not, your world will not melt away if you take a few days to relax and spend time with God and family. In fact, you may be surprised at how much more efficiently you run when you get back!
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