Time passes. Here one second and gone the next. People rush through their lives without taking the time to slow down. We get irritated when someone takes an extra half-second at the green light, but when we look back, we gained nothing from having that extra half-second. In fact, we wasted more time and energy being irritated with him than we did by sitting for that extra half second.
Why are we irritated by the guy who takes the extra half-second? Maybe it’s because we don’t take the time to separate ourselves from the rush and relax for a while. When we go on “vacation,” we still plan so many things that we don’t take the time to rest. We don’t completely separate ourselves from the rush mentality.
The point of vacation is to separate. Vacations can range from a 3-week trip to Utah to a weekend at your favorite state park. It could even just be spending the evening in the woods. Studies have shown that 30 minutes a week in nature does wonders for your state of mind. It will also affect your spiritual life. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” » We cannot grow spiritually effectively if we do not take time to be still from time to time.
So maybe the fact that we are easily irritated is because we simply don’t take the time to relax and unwind our minds. So take a vacation. Unplug from everything for a bit. The world is not going to crash and burn while you are gone. Unless you fall asleep like Rip van Winkle. A good rule of thumb for whether you’ve actually unplugged is whether, in the end, you feel ready and excited to get back in the trenches and eliminate whatever has been bothering you lately.
Thanksgiving weekend is coming up in a few weeks. Perhaps take the opportunity to unplug for a moment.