Confessions Of A Savioraholic

Control, alt, delete. Ever been there? You know what I'm talking about. The computer freezes up and you get some message like "program not responding" or "your computer is going to explode...RUN!!!" I know there's no message like the last one there, but there are times when I'd like to make it blow up. Anyways, its in those "computer freeze" moments when you hit those three keys, control, alt delete, hoping that perhaps that will help get things running smoothly again.

Now, I'm not a computer science major, so I'm not going to pretend to know the inner workings of a computer. But this much I do know, there are moments for whatever reason when computers just freeze up. Maybe, its because of too many processes occurring at the same time or some kind of virus or maybe even faulty software or hardware. I know there are a lot of different reasons. Again, I don't pretend to know all that much about the "whys," I just know its quite frustrating when it happens.

I don't know about you, but my brain does that from time to time as well. Its like all of a sudden something like this runs through my brain... oiuqwe09809kd;aldjp;ioeupoiwer. Has your mind ever felt like that? Like, brain waves are there but no thoughts are really registering? I get there sometimes. More times than I care to admit. Usually its at the end of a busy day or a crazy week. In moments like these, I just like to check-out for a bit. You know take a deep breath, stare at a wall, and just use as few brain functions as possible.

I remember when Lori and I first got married there were times when I would sit on the couch and just veg-out for a little bit. She would want to talk and my brain literally could not connect two sentences. It wasn't that I was disinterested. It was, just like those computer freezes, my brain had encountered too many inputs and was shutting down. It's not a stress related thing, or an emotional thing, just an exhaustion thing. Through the years I think she has become very good at knowing when my brain is at control, alt, delete stage.

One thing I discovered over the years is that I haven't been all that good at learning how to knock off work at a specific time. I carry it with me, much of where I go. My brain is so often in "work" mode, and I have a real difficulty turning it off. I will go to bed thinking, and I will wake up thinking. Again, for the most part its not worry, or fear, or stress, just a list of things that needs to get done or problems that need to get solved. Ok, I'll say it...yep, there are even times when I'm thinking "there's a world that needs saving, how can I rest at a time like this?" Yes, my name is Tim Stone and I'm a savior-aholic. I feel much better now that I've got that off my chest. I felt like a while back after I did my best attempt at playing savior of the world, and I was feeling completely exhausted, the Holy Spirit said, "So, how's it feel to play savior for a week? How's that working out for you?" It was in a time of prayer and I actually chuckled because I knew He was right on.

I think we humans are really good at loading things on our shoulders that we aren't meant to carry. We're walking through life with huge spiritual back-packs and wondering why we're worn-out, exhausted, and bordering on burn-out. God forbid we step back and take a breather. A day off? Are you kidding? There's too much to do. Got to wash the laundry, got spend time with the kids, got to go to work, got to mow the yard, got to return the phone calls, got pay the bills, got to run by the bank, got to run by the cleaners, got to get the oil changed, got to check facebook, got to check emails, got to wash the car, got to dust the furniture, got to take out the trash, got to clean the garage, got to cook dinner, and on and on it goes. Oh, yeah and haven't you heard there's a world that needs saving? So we go through life at the speed of light until we get to that point where Starbucks can't pump enough caffeine into their coffee to keep us going. Control, alt delete! Control, alt, delete! Control, alt, delete!!!

Unfortunately, we don't have those buttons to reboot us. God is really smart, though. He knew how we would do life and he instituted this thing called a sabbath. We've made it a religious thing, but God created it to be a part of how we do life. No, its not that hour long Sat. or Sunday thing we do. It was created for mankind, as a day to recharge and refuel. A day to cease from work, and take a breather. Its a day for us to allow the Holy Spirit to breath life into us and refresh us. Think about it, you were created with both the capacity to work, and the need to take a break. More times than not, those moments when my brain hits overload mode, its because I've failed to stop to recharge and refuel.

I know for those workaholics and savioraholics out there, its a tough thing for us to take a break. Afterall, there's so much work to do and haven't you heard there's a world to save. I'm just thinking it might be a little prideful for us to think that the world can't handle being without us for a day. I'm learning how to slow down. No, I don't always do it right, but I do believe I'm getting much better. Because, I'm a pastor, Mondays have become the day of rest in the Stone household. I still have my prayer time and Bible study time, and the rest of the day is family day. I don't check emails, I rarely answer my phone or return phone calls, and I spend the day resting and having a great time with my family. I know, there's a world to save, but I'm thinking I'll let Jesus be the Savior, since He's much better at pulling that off than I am. I'll do my part Tuesday-Sunday and I'll engage in kingdom business like crazy on those days, but I'm determined to follow God's design concerning the sabbath.

Now, even following that design for life, there are still those moments when my brain registers....laoiuer098029384roidad;flakdjva. They are fewer and much further apart though. As for my computer? Well, let's just say even taking Mondays off doesn't seem to help it at all.

Help, I Need A Break!!!

Have you ever needed a break? Have you ever needed to escape? You know just get away. Just take some time to forget about life and all its responsibilities. Perhaps, a vacation once a month would be ideal. Not the kind of vacation where you are doing a million things but the kind where you just get to kick back and relax. Ok, I know that unless your bank account is running over and you're self employed, retired, or have a very nice boss, that's not at all practical. And no I'm not offering you an all expense paid vacation somewhere.

The truth of the matter is that we are busy people. We wake every day with agendas that often could never be accomplished in a 24 hour day. As a result, we often go to bed at night with unfinished business. Some of us are often walking around on the borderline of burned-out constantly. And because vacations only come once or twice a year, it is imperative that we find some kind of escape, even if it is for a few moments.

Some head for the movies. Some hit the la-z-boy chair and vegetate in front of the TV. Some run to relationships, while others pop pills, drown themselves in drink, or sit around with a laptop on their lap for hours gaming, surfing, or engaged in some other Internet activity. There's a great deal of other activities that people choose as their "escape" and I must admit I have a few myself.

The truth is that we all need some down time. The problem is, we often err in how we approach this. God created us in such a way that we would need a break. He set up a system in which we could have a day off. He called it a sabbath. Religion took that day and made it into a religious thing, but God himself says it was created for us, not Him. God, the Omnipotent Creator created us and gave us permission to take a day off. What a concept!!! Think about. One day every week to escape. To take the pressures of life and remove them from our shoulders for a day. Go ahead, rotate those shoulders around and roll your neck around a time or two. Now that feels good. When is the last time, you took a day off? A day when you spent the day with the ones you love the most. A day when the agenda was nothing more than to take a break. Trust me if we could learn to do that, we would be more equipped to handle life during the rest of the week.

In addition to taking a day off, what do you think would happen if during the moments of needing to escape during the week, we chose to run to God rather than run to all our other "escape" mechanisms. I'm not saying that all those things we do to escape are negatives, just that often times they are a substitute for the only thing that can really work. Scripture tells us... that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength...to be still and know that I am God...come to me all you who labor and are heaven laden and I will give you rest. All throughout God's Word we are instructed that in Him is where we find true rest. Sure, we can escape using lots of other ways, but we were created to find our escape in Him. When we choose to run to Him, not only do we find rest but we find a renewed strength.

Running to Him is not a religious thing. It can look like a few moments of silence and solitude. Or, perhaps a few moments of scripture reading, or prayer. It can be time spent in meditation. No, meditation is not just some wacked-out eastern religious practice, but a scriptural practice that God instructs us to embrace. It's a practice of pondering or thinking about what God has said and what He's saying. I'm convinced that when we learn to practice "escaping" like this, it puts us light-years beyond any of those other escapes.

Next time you feel the need to escape, try running to Him. I think you'll find that He is better equipped to meet your need for rest and strength than any other thing you try.