Did you unplug?

This post is NOT about taking a much needed vacation.

This post is NOT about unplugging your smart phone or wireless device to get some needed down time.

This post is NOT about unplugging the toaster before you reach in it with your knife to get out that piece of toast that is stuck.

It’s about unplugging something you are doing, when you ‘plug in’ something else.

We are all faced with a lot of things to do out there.  Every day, we are asked to join this committee, be in this small group, play on this softball team, regularly attend this art club meeting.  All are good things.  Things that will improve our mind, things that will improve our bodies (exercise!), things that will improve our families, things that will improve our skills.

But we have to be sure we “unplug” something when we “plug” something else in.

I remember back to a time when I was volunteering at my church, they had asked me to teach Sunday School to the middle school kids (ouch! – what an experience).  I didn’t know what I was doing or getting into but I said yes.  Next, about 3 months later, they asked me if I wouldn’t mind coaching the church youth league basketball team.  I said sure, no problem.  Now I was also already committed to singing in the church choir (this was ‘back in the day’, before there were worship teams) and we had rehearsal one night a week already.  What this meant for me was that now I was preparing a Sunday School lesson every week, also holding a basketball practice one night a week, and going to choir practice one night a week as well.  Then, several more months later, they asked me if I would be the Boy Scout leader for the church – and I had never ever been a Boy Scout!  This would have required at least another night out, plus the preparation for that meeting every week (on another night!).  Needless to say, I finally said “no” to the Boy Scout leader opportunity, but this was after much deliberation and frustration.   What I failed to realize in this situation was that I was not unplugging anything from my life while I kept plugging things in.  I was just adding, and adding, and adding… all good things, all things that would help others, things that would enrich my life, but when I finally looked up I realized I was severely overcommitted and there was no time for anything else.

“But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands.” Isaiah 32:8 (NIV84)

Plugging things into your life is not a bad thing; we actually all need to do this and be connected with others (and other things in life) – it is what God designed us for.  but a Real Christian business Man must be diligent in what he DOES plug-in, and at the same time remembering to unplug things that also may be “good”  – so that you have room to plug-in the right things – things that are “best.” (maybe this topic will be a different blog post?)

What in your life should you “unplug” right now to give yourself a little more space?