Read the news this morning that a rising number of Japanese are literally working themselves to death, ie more and more people are dying from overwork.
Had another taste of "overwork" this week. I have 2 visitors this week in Singapore for business meetings. So for the last 4 days, it's been 8.30 am to 5 pm everyday in the conference rooms. And because the day is already taken up, other meetings are scheduled after 5 pm. So it means late and tiring days.
And because we at the more senior levels are expected to be more efficient, productive and capable than most, day to day work is not expected to be halted just because we are stuck in full day meetings. Especially when our counterparts in other geographical regions are dependent on us. So it means that while in the meetings, I am working on my notebook, getting work done, requests fulfilled, and listening and contributing in the meetings. Multi-tasking at its extreme. Can be done, but extremely draining. To make matters worse, the work is done so that we are ready for our teleconferences with our USA counterparts at 10-12 pm each night, followed by follow-on teleconferences the next morning at 7 am!
So you can imagine what my life has been like the last few days...:-) Not to mention having to make time on Wed night between 7 - 9.30 pm to lead my G12, then rushing home in time for the telecon at 10:30 pm, then wake up early next morning to get to office by 7 am....boy, am I tired!
Woah...glad this week is over, and I don't have to do this every week. It is simply not sustainable, neither is it good for health. Not surprising that the modern man can die from overwork if they push themselves too far and for too long.
We were never designed to be non-stop working machines, not even for Christians doing the work of God. We all need good rest periodically...and for us Christians, I believe it is crucial and essential to make time each week to observe the Sabbath rest of God.
DT 5:12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Observing the Sabbath is a challenge for the Christian in the modern society that we live in, with its relentless pressure on our time, forcing us to juggle continuously work, family, ministry. It is so easy to ignore the Sabbath when there are tons of things just screaming for our attention each day.
Yet, God's Word is clear. I believe Deut 5:12-15 was as relevant to the Israelites then as it is to us now. We need time each week to find rest in the Lord, re-focus, remember the Lord, give thanks and to prepare spiritually for the next week ahead. And to do that, I need to make time to spend extended time with God each week.
We may all find our own ways to observe the Sabbath. For me, it is the precious time on Sunday mornings when I sneak out of the house before the kids awake, and I only come home during to bring them lunch, and then bundle them off to church for youth service.
It may not be as long as I like it to be, but it is this consistent Sabbath rest that has kept me sane and going for the last 2 years.
We need it, more than we can ever imagine, especially for those working hard in serving the Lord. It is a mistake to think that because we are doing God's work, we can push ourselves hard indefinitely, while ignoring God's command for us to observe the Sabbath.
Trust me, I tried it many years back, following some well-intentioned but sadly misguided advise that "if I am serving the Lord, God will never let me burn out because God's work itself is the Sabbath."
I pushed myself very hard then...but burned out spectacularly after a few months. Needed another couple of months to recover.
It was a valuable lesson learnt. Looking at the books of Moses, I realised that God commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath even though He was physically with them, as a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night; and His presence was omnipresent in the Israelite camp, in the miracles of manna and quail that dropped out of the sky. He was with them as they work and serve Him, and yet demanded that they keep the Sabbath rest.
All the more that we must take time to seek Him when we know He is near as we walk with Him and serve Him. Take time to be still....and remember that He is Lord.
Thank God it is again Sunday today. Thank God that by His strength, I have made it through a tough week. Time to seek the Lord and to keep the Sabbath._
