Worshiping by Protecting My Down-time?

On Thursday night, we had our RA meeting at Dean Gibbs' house, and it was inspirationally challenging to listen to her speak on the issue of spiritual growth and development. One principle she addressed was that of down-time, and the need to incorporate it into our daily lives. As a constantly on-the-go girl, it's been hard for me to even fathom that it could possibly be acceptable not to have every single moment of my day planned. However, Dean Gibbs raised the point that it is absolutely crucial to protect our down-time on a day-to-day basis (this being different than setting aside a drowsy 15 minutes before bed for devotions). By down-time, I mean anything from a nap to extended prayer time...whatever God happens to lay on your heart that He wants for you.

It's hard for me at first to accept that it is good to say no to people's requests sometimes, but I really felt challenged by this, that it is okay, and God wants me to sometimes. And honestly, it makes sense too, that He would rather have me be able to give 100% to the tasks He has laid out for me rather than an exhausted 50% because I have my heart set on meeting every person's expectations. Does this mean I will become lazy? Not at all! But what this does mean, is that I'm going to try to keep my commitments to a level that is humanly possible and allow "sabbath" time to allow God to keep me spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy. I'm excited to see how He uses this new commitment for His honor and glory!