But I'm NOT A Workaholic!

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
    Be wise enough to know when to quit.

~Proverbs 23:4

I love my job! There's just no other way I can say it. God has finally shown me a niche where I not only fit, but love fitting into it.  I get to talk with people, offer counsel or perhaps a perspective.  I get to share with them from my lifetime of doing life wrong.  I get to build friendships.  I get to help others who might be struggling.  And I get to drink a LOT of coffee!

In my previous jobs, I could not wait to get home and leave work behind for a few brief hours before having to go "back to the salt mines."  Because I saw my job as just a means to get a paycheck, advancement was neither available nor encouraged.  In short, most every job I have ever held has been a job I dreamed of doing something else. Yet my job now is not a job because it is a joy!  I cannot even dream of doing anything else!

With having a joy instead of a job does have a downside (I heard you gasp).  When you love what you do, the risk of wanting to do it ALL the time is very real!  

One of the things I get to do is teach the New Hires about Law Enforcement Stress Awareness.  And one of the items we discuss is the fact that, while many Deputies work extra duty to make ends meet or for some extra money, no one can work ALL the time without burning out.  And I am having to learn to example the whole "don't-work-all-the-time" point.  You see, even when I am officially off-the-clock, I am still working, thinking about work, learning ways to do more and do it better, reading books about work, talking about work.  In short, I get paid to work X number of hours, but I have this habit of working well beyond the X and pushing more toward the Z.  

I have heard many times before that "the bosses notice when you put in extra hours."  I am slowly realizing that if I am doing my job to the best of my ability, then I will also set aside time to rest and recharge.  Let me give you the practical example that smacked me between the eyes: Your cellphone (and most people have them) works as it is supposed to when the battery is fully charged.  What happens when the battery drains?  You either have to recharge it or it will cease to function.  And we are no different!  We NEED to take time away to rest and recharge or we will cease to function effectively.

Think about it this way: God took a day off from creating this Earth and commanded us to take a day off as well.  Who are we to tell God we're too busy to rest?

Flock Of Seagulls!

He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.

~Psalm 23:2 

 

For all who have entered into God’s rest 

have rested from their labors, just as God 

did after creating the world.

~Hebrews 4:10

 

Labor Day is upon us, and for many it is truly a day of Labor.  For many more it is a day with a dizzying schedule of activities.  And, true, for some it is a day for various forms of over-indulgence (and debauchery?).  But for the wise, the truly wise, it is an opportunity to be Biblical and relax.  

 

I am one of those people who is guilty of scheduling more than I should and when not working, I am thinking of work or planning some meeting or class.  Rest doesn't come easy to us because we have been programmed over the years that "rest" is an EVIL word and a habit for the unambitious and lazy.  So.....according to today's verses, God's intention was to make us unambitious and lazy so WE have to show Him who is boss by driving on until we die?

 

I am learning to relax.  I am learning to WANT to rest.  I am learning that constant stress will destroy more than just your sanity and attitude, it can destroy your relationships, your health, and can even do worse.  Of late, I have felt the pull of the need to get away for a few hours and spend time with my bride doing something I always find relaxing...spending time with my gullfriends (and there are usually many).  That's right...I said I have many gullfriends!  And they seem to like it when I go feed them.  

 

 

 

They flock to me and are very gentle when they take the bread from my hands, from my shoulders and even from the top of my head (and I do wear a cap, just in case they think my bald head is a bombing target). But convincing my bride to come has been QUITE the challenge these last several years.

 

Even so, I urge each of you to make time to relax.  Relaxing doesn't always mean sitting still and doing nothing.  There are relaxing activities such as going for a stroll, riding a bicycle (for those who still have their balance), gardening, reading, going out to eat, laying back and watching the stars, looking for shells and shark's teeth on the beach, the potential of activities is endless.  Find something that you find peaceful and spend time relaxing away from the noise and stress of the work place.

 

If you haven't noticed...there's been a theme these last few days!