In Part 1 we discussed how life has changed, becoming more demanding and how it leaves people feeling vulnerable, exhausted, and negative. We agree that life is busy but that we are still supposed to have the control as we are the ones who need to STOP and take TIME OUT to reflect. We need to start in no other place first, but ourselves. I want to say that I am not just referring to other people’s lives, but also to my own.
Why do we need time out? You see, it is always about work, commitments and being busy. Again, I am not saying that we must not work, have commitments and that we are not busy for that is life, even for the people who have retired. However, I am saying that we should have some kind of balance in our lives, as it is critical for us to survive in this busy world.
The reality is also that if we are caught up in such busy schedules, we end up doing things and becoming that person who we do not want to be. We become short-tempered, agitated, and angry more easily and this impacts our loved ones and those around us negatively, leaving us again despondent.
I want to share a short testimony with you. Our son was going through a difficult time in one of the jobs he was working. Although they promoted him, they started setting unrealistic targets. I know God says in His Word that nothing is impossible (Mark 10:27), so yes if something is in His Will and for His purpose, we would be able to fit in thirty-six hours into a twenty-four-hour day. However, from a human perspective, what they expected from our son was just simply unrealistic.
The amount of time he had to put in to produce the target that they set for him per day, meant that he would end up working twenty-three hours a day! That leaves you with one hour to eat, bath, sleep and spend time with your family. How is this humanly possible or realistic? It is like they put him up for failure.
Maybe this is also the situation that you are finding yourself in right now. So, with what is expected of us and how we need to live up to these unrealistic demands means that somewhere or somehow, something needs to be sacrificed. With this said, is it not normally our health and loved ones who are affected negatively? I do not think that this is what God wants from us. Where is the focus?
Let me share with you a little bit of what we did as a family to support our son when he had to live up to those unrealistic targets. We decided as a family to fast and pray together so that we could hear God’s voice in all of this. What was it that God wanted, because humanly, it was not possible to produce at the level the company expected.
For us this meant one thing, which was that the door in that job was closing, and we knew that God never leaves His children high and dry. He says in Joshua 1:5, that He will never leave nor forsake us. That dear reader, is a promise directly from God! We fasted and prayed and let me tell you, God came through for our son and blessed our son with a new and better opportunity.
At some point in our lives, we need to STOP and TAKE time out to say that what is expected is simply not do-able. It means that we will have to do our best yes, but at some point, we also need to stand up for ourselves and decide to move away from what is hurting us and our loved ones, so that we can move into the blessing God has planned for us.
To take time out involves more than just taking a break. It means that God needs to be the centre of your time out, the one you need to consult with and allow Him to guide your every step. Yes, this is not a once off, but an everyday process.
In Part 3 of Time Out, we will discuss what we need to do to deal with these pressures of life and the importance of focussing our lives on taking TIME OUT. Please make sure to follow these articles which will end in an e-book.
Love in Christ
Princess K
