Anything Above Zero Compounds
If it helps, you’re not alone.
I have had quite a few conversations with leaders and team members over the past few weeks. Themes of stress, burnout, exhaustion and weariness have been pretty consistent. We’ve got a few major projects going on within the business, and outside of the business there has been chaos. It’s been alot to navigate.
Have you ever thought you had your phone plugged in overnight, only to wake up and realize that it wasn’t. It makes it through until about 9:30am and then it’s useless. I’ve been there a few times personally recently.
Many of you have been running in 4th and 5th gear consistently for some time now. Our bodies can actually do that for a season - we have an incredible Creator! AND, we are going to need to find the time, somehow, to rest and recharge the batteries. I have woken up a few mornings recently feeling like I was starting the day with 10% of my battery charged. I’m pretty ineffective on those days.
Maybe you have experienced this, too.
So what I am sharing with you isn’t coming from someone who has perfected this…but learning and trying to practice what I preach!
It’s interesting to me that we take something as concrete as the need for rest, and make it negotiable. When you look at Scripture, rest is foundational. God Himself rests on the 7th day and encourages us to do likewise. Jesus was constantly peeling off by Himself to spend time in solitude.
Jesus addressed His disciples and those that were following Him to come to Him for rest, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." — Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT). Jesus is speaking to the very core of our hearts here. We long for rest. We know that the way we are living life is not sustainable. But in order to find true rest, we are called to come to Jesus. To lay down the burdens, workload, stress, fears, anxieties, etc. - and find rest in Him. To abide in Him. In His faithfulness. In His sovereignty. In His grace.
Here are a few other Scriptures that speak to those that are weary:
Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV) | “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Psalm 4:8 (NLT) | “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”
Jeremiah 31:25 (NASB) | “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
“Crashing is not resting; it is actually just crashing. Crashes cause pain, create drama, and cost money.”
So what happens when we don’t intentionally schedule time to downshift in order to rest and recharge? Well, we often crash, burnout, or sometimes end up in the ditch. We attempt to “cope” in some unhealthy ways, sometimes turning to alcohol, substances, food, etc. to try to ease the stress or build up. Ironically, these coping mechanisms often “work” for us. They ease our pain or stress temporarily.
The only problem is, if we keep on using them to cope, eventually they will kill us.
We have to find healthy ways to recharge and to deal with the real stress and weariness we are experiencing. So how do we do that?
RECHARGING: Differences Between Introverts and Extroverts
Rest and recharging doesn’t happen in the same way for everyone. Steve Cochram writes, “Introverts recharge internally, like a battery pack. They need to plug into an energy source directly and recharge on their own from within. Extroverts, on the other hand, are like solar panels: their recharge happens from external power sources, like ideas or people or experiences.” Let’s start with how an introvert might recharge.
BATTERY PACK-TYPE RECHARGE SOURCES FOR INTROVERTS:
Meditation - This normally becomes a place for peace.
Devotions - Introverts are normally more disciplined with their personal time.
Sleeping - Research shows that introverts usually need a bit more sleep than extroverts.
Reading - Especially novels or biographies.
Exercise - Long runs or walks alone.
Time to yourself - Pursue hobbies, like art, gardening, cooking, woodworking, and so on.
“Like thumbprints, we are all unique in our personality hard wiring, and that means that we all recharge differently. The problem is that most of the articles on rest or recharging are generic, and when people try to apply the one-size-fits-all idea, there’s no improvement.”
SOLAR POWERED-TYPE RECHARGES FOR EXTROVERTS:
Time with a mentor - Extroverts need to talk out loud to hear their ideas with someone they trust.
Ideas - Some extroverts are enamored with ideas, which can bring life to them.
Sleep - Extroverts need sleep as well, usually less than introverts.
Speaking - Some extroverts thrive when they speak or share.
Reading - Books that bring inspiration and are highly applicable.
Exercise - Extroverts tend to like class-type exercise with a group of people rather than the isolated experiences of running by themselves.
ANYTHING ABOVE ZERO COMPOUNDS
What is ONE THING on this list that you could try? A friend of mine shared this with me the other day over lunch: “Anything above ZERO compounds.” We lie to ourselves when we believe that if we aren’t having a two hour devotional time every morning, working out another hour, and reading three books a week - we’re failing.
That’s just simply not true. Or realistic.
Anything above zero compounds means the only way to not grow or get healthier is to do NOTHING. If you can only spend 15 minutes in the morning in prayer or journaling, anything above zero compounds. If you can only take a 10 minute walk before work or during lunch, anything above zero compounds.
Do one thing positive for as long as you can, and then repeat tomorrow. Over time, the investment you make in your phsyical, spiritual, emotional and mental health can show an incredible return. The law of compounding brings a picture of a small snowball at the top of the hill. You’ve got to start somewhere and “too small” isn’t a thing. Anything above zero compounds!
OPEN HANDS
I also want to encourage you to pray about it. Something as simple as this prayer:
“God, help me as I pursue the life you’ve called me to live. Would You help me rest and be able to recharge? Help me to rely on You today, when I put work and relationships down and spend a moment or two to recharge. I ask that You would abundantly multiply my rest, and that it would bring glory to You.”
Take time to rest this week. Sit on the front porch and watch the sunrise and sunset. Take one of the Scriptures I mentioned earlier and just meditate on that one thought for five minutes. Go for a walk alone or with someone. Be still for a minute and just take a breath. Turn off Netflix at 9pm and get some sleep.
You’ve got important work to do next week. Let’s collectively come back with some charged up batteries, ready to take on whatever we have to face. As our weariness turns to rest and recharge, let’s give God the glory as we seek to be good stewards of the health, strength and clarity that He desires to give us as we rest in Him.
“Rest time is not wasted time. It is economy to gather fresh strength...It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.”