5 Ways You Should Spend Your Day Off

168 Hours a week.

Ministry leaders often think of ways to maximize the 168 hours God has blessed us with. However, 24 of these 168 hours should be spent resting your body - physically, mentally, and emotionally.

While we are created in the image of God, we are not omnipotent. We need rest.

Here are 5 ways you can rest on your next day off.

1. Family/Friends - Ministry leaders give 110% to the ministry. The danger is giving the ‘leftovers’ to family or friends. On your next day off, eat three meals together. Ask your spouse questions about the week. Play a board game with your children. If you do not have a family close to you, spend time with a friend at a coffee shop. You were created for relationships, not for isolation.
2. Go Outside - Throughout the week, Minister’s are caught behind the computer answering emails, researching sermon notes, or editing an upcoming sermon. Walking to the car for visitation or a lunch appointment can be the only moments of fresh air for a ministry leader. So on your next day off, spend at least 30 minutes outside. If it’s cold, bundle up. If it’s raining, grab the umbrella. The benefits of walking outside are unmistakable,  be intentional in stepping outside and enjoy God's creation. 
3. Unplug - I need thee, Oh I need thee, every hour I need thee. No, I’m not talking about the hymn. I’m talking about how we often feel about our electronic devices. A recent study shows that ‘most people check their smartphones over 150 times a day (Hooked on our Smart Phones).’ I understand that the Minister is ‘always on call’, but even leaving your smartphone on the kitchen counter (with the volume turned up) can in a sense be ‘unplugged’ today. Put the electronic device down for a day.
4. Use An Alarm to Wake Up - Many people try to ‘catch up on sleep’ on the weekends by sleeping in. However, research shows that sleeping in on weekends isn’t helpful at all. So keep your alarm set for the same time and wake up the same time as you do throughout the week. However, Jesus took naps, so be like Jesus and take a 20-30 minute nap on your day off.  
5. Pray - Brian Croft wrote an excellent article about ministry and prayer here: Article Link. Ministry leaders are extremely busy and prayer often is pushed aside. However, Jesus gave us many examples in the Gospels of the importance of prayer. Don’t neglect prayer, even on your day off. Prayer is not ‘work’. Prayer is a gift from God and an opportunity for us to have fellowship with our Creator.

This is a brief list of ideas you can use to rest on your next day off. Do you have a couple of ideas you would add to the list? No matter how you rest, take time to take care of yourself and in doing so, you will be better equipped to serve the body of Christ.