Workaholic?

I’m not a workaholic by nature. Trust me, I love my play time. However, if you were to speak to my wife, I’m sure she would joyfully fill you in to the fact that I spend just a little too much time at work.

The healthy balance of those two differing opinions probably comes in the form of a confusing compromise. While that previous statement made very little to no sense, I believe that Brandi and I are maybe a little bit both right. Having just returned from a short-week last week thanks to my choice of taking an extra day off after our hectic retreat season, I’m confronted by the monster of playing catch-up and a heavier workweek. I always look forward to recharge time, but the memory of the workload I’m confronted with when I get back often deters me from doing it more often.

If my statements thus far haven’t made any sense, bear with me:

I often envy the worker whose responsibilities don’t leave the office with them. Does that make sense? Some dudes go to work, clock in, work their shift then at the end of the day they clock out. When they leave, they’re gone. Their responsibilities are limited just to the time they spend at their job. I’ll bet a good bit of people like their jobs to stay like this. Sort of the “leave work at work” type of mentality. I assume with the more mature working audience there is a general understanding that when you want to make more moolah, you accept a higher position of responsibility which often means the job will follow you home.

29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Matthew 25:29

While a good majority of Americans experience that type of luxury (yes, I’m calling it a luxury for now if we’re still following the premise that ignorance is bliss), there is a smaller population of leadership that understands the burden of responsibility being a constant, not something that is turned off and on with ease. Notice I said “with ease” and not “not at all.” It is possible to turn it off and take a break. In fact I’ll say that it’s essential to your sanity and the sanity of those around you to turn it off an take regular breaks to rest your mind and your soul. Allow me to quickly clarify and say that it’s not okay to never take off the “boss” hat or take a break, just that it is VERY difficult when your leadership and position is dependent upon performance.

“Everything rises and falls on leadership.” – John Maxwell

Enter my problem… Over the past several years I have not done well at turning things off. This could come about in a variety of ways, but the bottom line was that I would constantly take things home with me. Maybe I had a hard time focusing on my “sit down” type work in the office, so when the day was done and I wasn’t finished that meant I either stayed later to finish my work or I would take it home with me. That seemed to defeat the purpose of going to the office in the first place, other than just being available which has never been a problem for me. I’m the king of being available. Enter problem #2. I was always available. I was never NOT available. I loved to be needed or to receive distractions no matter what time or where I was, even if that meant with my family.

I used to look at Sabbaticals (see the Wikipedia on Sabbaticals) as a total joke. Honestly, when I finally learned what it meant instead of just acting like I did, I couldn’t understand why a Pastor of all people would need to take time away to recuperate. I mean, after all, he doesn’t do any real work, right? I realize now this shows my ignorance and immaturity at that time, but tongue-in-cheek as that statement may be, I never really realized until several years into ministry how important taking a Sabbath really is. I’ve always been pretty good about taking my set in stone day out of the office every week, and in many cases giving that time to my family. But I’m all too often not that great at unplugging, ridding distractions, and being generally “unavailable.”

27Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28

Taking the time to work through the ten commandments for our teen series “TEN” this past 6 weeks or so has really challenged me to re-evaluate and re-learn what I know and where I’ve learned it. I really love what Heath Mullikin over at ChaseYourLion.com is doing with his thoughts on the Sabbath. He has a Part 1 and recently posted Part 2 last week. Heath says very simply in regards to the verse above:

“The Sabbath is all about liberation.  It’s not about being confined.  It’s about being set free. So, what sets you free?  What makes you feel like you’re alive?  The Sabbath isn’t about being reminded that you’re human.  It’s about being reminded that you’re divinely created in the image of God.  In a day and age where we spend so much time ‘working for the man’ the Sabbath is that weekly reminder that we are God’s ‘workmanship’ and created for a higher purpose (Ephesians 2:10).”

When God delivered the ten commands to Moses via the tablet on Mr. Horeb (Sinai) he knew what the Hebrew people had just come from.  A culture of slavery by the Egyptians. A culture of work that endured 7 days a week 16 hours a day in a race to see who could become the most valuable slave. God’s people were forced into a culture of work where rest wasn’t valued and worth was measured in how many mud bricks you could churn out in a day. He knew they needed rest, even though they didn’t know it. He wanted to show them that their value was set apart by who they were in the Lord God, not just what they could accomplish.

Even today, our culture has established a self-inflicted workaholic mindset. We feel we must accomplish great things at any cost, even the cost of our family and character. As long as we have succeeded in the sabbHUSTLE (see garyvaynerchuk.com to understand this term) everything else is just collateral damage. We must never be unavailable, never out of pocket, never relaxing, always trying to get ahead. I’ll admit, I feel the pressure. And I’ll often refuse to take time off or away for fear of what kind of catching up or extra work will be awaiting me when I return. I used to think that was a legitimate excuse. But the more and more I learn (and try to grow) as a leader, the more I see the value in allowing myself to rest. Even after the extra day I took last week on top of my regular day out of the office, I was chomping at the bit last night even to get back in and back at it again.

So I’ll ask it like Heath did… How do you do it? How do you unplug? How do you get away? How do you liberate yourself?

8 ”Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work,10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

Exodus 20:8-11