Taking a Break...

For the past several Saturdays, we have been discussing truth and unity. The conclusion of this study is coming soon - but let's take a break from that topic. As a matter of fact, let's talk about taking breaks. 

Sometimes we wear ourselves out - we're so busy with jobs, studying, or doing things for others that we neglect to take time for ourselves.

The point is - you need to take time to stop, relax, and collect your thoughts so you can solve any internal problems that you may be facing. God has blessed us with so much, especially here in America. I'm not advising that we become lazy or complacent, I'm just saying that we need to take a break. 

As an example, I make cabinets during weekdays with a local cabinetmaker as a summer job. The other day, we got completely caught up with where we wanted to be on filling orders so we stopped to get a drink of water and discuss what to do next. We had planned on working until 4 p.m., but we finished at around 11 a.m. My boss's first reaction was to go ahead and find something else to do so he could get ahead, like he always does when he gets caught up. That's awesome! What a great attitude.

However...

That day was his grandson's birthday and his grandson really wanted his grandpa to take him to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday. I mean, the grandson reallllllly wanted grandpa to take him to Chuck E. Cheese. I could tell my boss was struggling with whether or not he should work - he wanted to go with his grandson, but he also knew that getting ahead at work is security. Being over-prepared is better than being under-prepared. Seeing him conflicted, I brought the subject up as we were sitting there, sipping water, and we came to the conclusion that he should go with his grandson. 

Our conclusion was something like this: "These cabinets are right where we wanted them to be, and your grandson is only going to be young once. In 10 years, it's going to matter more to you and to him if you go with him to Chuck E. Cheese than it's going to matter if we're 5 hours ahead on building cabinets. Family comes first." He went and they both had a blast.

That's what I'm talking about in this post. Make sure that you take time to relax and enjoy your blessings. Whether it's 
your parents, 
your grandparents, 
your children, 
your grandchildren, 
your husband, 
your wife, 
your boyfriend, 
your girlfriend, 
your best friends, 
your dog, 
your jacuzzi,
your season tickets; whatever it is that you have, take the time to enjoy it. 

Make sure you say a specific prayer tonight to thank God for giving you those blessings. You see, that's the thing about physical blessings... Nothing in this life lasts. Everyone dies and everything deteriorates. If you wait until a more convenient time to enjoy your blessings, you may not even have them anymore. 

In other words, you make time for what's important to you. We all do. Make time to enjoy the little things in this life. Make time to enjoy the little pieces of your own personal Eden as you go through life and always remember that God is with us. He loves us. And he wants you to relax.

He wants you to take a deep breath and enjoy the good in the world. Stop being so busy for a few minutes and remember who and what you're putting in all of that effort for.

What's it all worth? 

Thanks for reading! We'll pick up with the Truth and Unity series next week. Have a great weekend!
- Ethan