Recovery From Adrenaline Dependence And Overworking
“Hi. I’m Ron. I’m a workaholic and adrenaline addict in recovery.”
Now you should say, “Hi Ron!” Thanks for sharing, There is grace for everyone".
Recovery from adrenaline dependence and overworking
How did I recover? By slowing down for a Sabbath rest.
The Peace of Christ
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” Paul says (Colossians 3:15). We all long for the peace of Christ. But we don’t want to be ruled!
Sabbath teaches me let go of all the ways I want to make things happen or control the people and situations in my life. It helps me to be governed by God in what I do and in how I do it.
My guess is that you need Sabbath time too. It’s a powerful treatment not only for overworking or adrenaline dependence, but also for busyness, anxiety, self-importance, trying to control the outcomes of situations, and worrying about pleasing or impressing people.
Little-by-Little I Started Practicing a Sabbath
For many years keeping a Sabbath to me meant going to church, spending some time with my family, and squeezing in as many “projects” as I could. That’s not a bad way to spend a Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to teach me how to live in God’s peace.
The writer to the Hebrews teaches us that New Testament Christians need a Sabbath rest: “Be careful!… Anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work… So make every effort to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:1,8-11).
Several years ago I started being intentional about setting aside a day of prayer for spiritual rest and renewal. Sad to say many of my spiritual mentors were "Pastors", "Bishops" and other such "Sabbath workers" who just could not understand the thought of not going to "church" for "church was their life.
Now, please don’t think I’m holy because I keep a Sabbath Or that I am a sinner for not going to church on the Sabbath. The truth is that we have been raised with the idea that man was made for the Sabbath instead of the Sabbath made for Man. I do what I do because I need help to be still and know that the Lord is God – he is in charge, not me, not society, not religious practices (Psalm 46:10).
What I do on My Sabbath
On my Sabbath I do no work – that’s the key. I try not to be productive. I have no agenda except to spend the day with Jesus, doing whatever we want to do together. Usually, the best way for me to connect with Jesus is in quiet solitude. (Sometimes all or part of my Sabbath is spent with my family or on a peace retreat.)
My Sabbath may include sleeping in or getting up before sunrise. I may stay holed up in my prayer room/office or go for a hike in the hills or go to a retreat center. Wherever I go, usually I fast from media like cell phones, facebook, and the rest of it, and sometimes from food too to help me to pray.
I always spend some time in God’s Word on my Sabbath day. I pray a Psalm, do Lectio Divina (a special way of meditating on a passage from the Bible), or practice Abiding Prayer (slowly and deeply meditating on a verse from the Bible). But I save Bible study for another day since being studious is not restful.
I need to engage my heart with God so I focus on being with Christ and conversing with him. In my journal I process my experiences, confess my sins, or write down what I sense God is saying to me.
Notice I did not say "I go to church" or "I am an active church leader" I am not here to say that this is wrong, but as we search the truth we see that the sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath. The Sabbath was not intended to keep us busy.
“He Restores my Soul”
Setting aside extended time to unhook from normal activity and noise and connect with Christ is such a blessing! Sabbath teaches us to live in the “easy yoke” of Jesus everyday! (Matthew 11:28-30).
When we make the Lord our Shepherd, learn to lie down in his green pastures, and take the time to drink from his still waters then we will say with David in Psalm 23: “He restores my soul!”
