Take time for yourself

I went back to the gym today. Over the last few weeks I have been taking vacation days here and there. So getting up to World Gym hasn't been easy. But now I am back and I plan to take control of my schedule for the rest of the summer. That means building in time for me and my good health.

I know that too often I let the rest of the world dictate my schedule. I drop everything for my wife and kids, the people at church who call, folks in the community who I have connections too. Even this past week, I spent half of my vacation days doing for others.

I'm not complaining. I enjoy what I do. But a good friend of mine told me a long time ago that if you really want to help others, you have to begin by taking care of yourself. For me that means eating right and getting exercise. I have to make sure I do heart healthy things.

So I made a promise to myself today. I will take at least one day a week off from work activities the rest of the summer. I will schedule in some exercise time every day, before I add anything else. I will also spend fifteen minutes to a half hour every day in prayer or reading devotional pieces.

As I was contemplating this, I though about my many friends who get so busy that they push church out of their lives. I confess that I can't do this because I get paid to be there and lead worship. But you can and sometimes do allow the hectic pace of life to squeeze you. My hope and prayer is that you will reclaim that bit of sabbath rest this summer and make sure you get to worship regularly. I also hope you can spend a little time reading a devotional or reading your Bible. A great place to start is the Gospels.

Here are a few devotional web sites you might enjoy as well:

Max Lucado - Check out his free weekly meditations on his web site. http://maxlucado.com/
Daily Bread - Great daily devotions. http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml
The Upper Room - Good reading. h ttp://www.upperroom.org/Devotional/
Cross walks - It looks good. Billy Graham and Max Lucado references. Check it out http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/


Cal