Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 (NLT)
Jesus was the ultimate example of managing work stress.
Jesus had a big agenda. His mission was huge and His work was incredibly important. But Jesus’ priorities were never compromised. Jesus worked hard and made sure He took breaks. Jesus observed the Sabbath and He is our example to follow.
The Bible doesn’t record that Jesus was ever in a hurry. Jesus never stressed. Jesus never ran. Jesus was always busy and at the end of His work, He went away to pray. The Bible records that Jesus went to the boat, went up a mountain, prayed in a garden, etc. Jesus always obeyed the Sabbath by taking off 1 day from each week.
Jesus invested His time in each place and knew when it was time to move on. Sure, not every person in the region was fed, not everyone was healed, but Jesus’ time there was done.
Jesus cut off and moved on. Jesus never did good things at the expense of better things.
Jesus managed His time. Time management includes a To-Do List as well as a To-Don’t List. Do a few things well and list things not to do at all. Set clear limits on how you will spend time and how you will not waste time. Know when to say when.
Pray: Dear God – Thank you for Jesus’ example of managing stress. Thank you for showing me the priority of working hard and taking breaks. Thank you for creating the Sabbath to meet my need for rest so I can work hard during the other 6 days. Help me to pursue balance in my life by knowing when to cut off. In Jesus’ name. Amen