It’s Okay to Recharge

In January 2017 I got to spend a week at Disney World. That was a fun experience, but the real joy was spending that time with my family.

In the early years of ministry I would go to the States for two-weeks over Christmas, or New Years. This became a time to unplug from ministry, take time to recharge, and focus on the coming year.

To be honest at first I was kind of embarrassed about doing this since there was lots of work to be done on the mission field.

Eventually I learned stepping away from ministry for a short-time made it more effective in the future.

This planned time of recharging helped in a number of ways:

I could get counsel from family members face to face
There was extra time for Bible reading, prayer, and reflection
I was able to take care of myself physically
The Lord gave a clear understanding of the past years ministries, and His will for the next year
And I returned with a renewed vigor

The real problem with recharging is I sometime viewed it as laziness. After all, lots of things could be accomplished in those two-weeks!

But how effective would those ministries be?

It’s far better to return with a strong body, clear mind, and heart on fire after a break than to serve the Lord with a weary body, clouded mind, and Luke-warm heart.