The Weekend is not for Recovery

Weekends are for celebration, not recovery. 

I know that’s a pretty polarizing statement, but hear me out. Life is such that sometimes we will find ourselves in this place, but we should not find ourselves chronically exhausted every time the weekend rolls around. 

If you are always burning the candle at both ends and feel burnt out to the point that you always need the weekend to recover, you’re doing too much. I mean it. It could be your job, your family, kid’s activities, and I’ll be bold enough to say your church service too. 

Think of the conversation between Moses and his father in law in Exodus 18. Moses was stretched thin and was carrying the full load of the Israelite community on his shoulders. In one fell swoop, Jethro says what we all need to hear from time to time. “What you are doing is not good.” 

We all have a capacity and some are wired to carry a load that far surpasses our own. Are we looking at someone else’s work capacity and forcing ourselves to outwork our own limits because of shame brought out by comparison and unfair expectation? 

No is a complete sentence and it’s healthy for us to both hear it and say it. You are the only one who really knows your capacity. So take an inventory of how you feel at the end of every week. Is there anything left and where do you need to say no? I’d be willing to bet you know exactly where that is. 

If God calls you to something, He is also faithful to set the pace to sustain it. If you outwork that pace, you have an internal governor that will kick in to let you know. Pay attention. If it’s not a full yes, it’s a no. Other opportunities will come. Temporary discomfort of no will pass and be forgotten.