When I began my ministry, one of the greatest desires was to serve others. I had been typed in various surveys and inventories as one who shows mercy, organizes and leads.
The biggest problem with this? A martyr complex can arise. A sense of indispensability overcomes common sense. The pull to burn out is way too easy.
In this last while I have been working on taking rest days!
I used to think one day of rest was sufficient (and perhaps in my twenties this was true). I did read in the Bible that priests were good to go hard at their work until they were 50. At that point they became the gatekeepers for the building (OK, that’s a little simplified, but the carries the basic idea). There was a recognition that the hard work was too much for an “older” person.
And now I find that one day of rest is a good start, two days are better. And so, two days at home doing something other than work has been good for me.