This morning, I was praying with a couple of guys and talking about my plans for the day.

SIDEBAR: for anyone who doesn’t have one or two people that you can chart the course of life with, in addition to your spouse, I highly recommend it. Life’s more fun in the context of relationship.

Because Sunday is a workday for me, Monday is my “Sabbath”, a day I intend to rest, get refreshed and energized for the week ahead. Honestly, though, I often fill this day with errands, catchup projects around the house, or even work related items. I just do this at a lower pace than my regular workdays. That’s what your “day off” is for, right?

Well, maybe not, since God specifically commanded us to “keep the Sabbath holy”.

Consider yourself like a car with multiple gears…

As we were praying, God brought to my mind the image of a gear shift in a manual transmission. The image suggested that most days, I’m running in fourth or fifth gear. When I just “slow down” on my day off, I might be shifting into first or second. Sometimes I might be very intentional about not doing any work. Even then, the momentum of yesterday and what I’m thinking about for the week keeps me in a work oriented flow. I’m basically shifting into neutral (but I’m still rolling :).

I think to really refuel though, you have to shift into park. You can’t be half moving, letting your mind consider projects that you will be picking up again tomorrow. You need rest!

That may mean shutting off the phone or laptop, getting away from your house to a refreshing place, scheduling time with a friend, or planning a special family outing.

For those of us who spend life in overdrive, this can be hard to do, but it’s worth it. A few years back, I sat down and made a list of things that refresh me. When I know I need time like this, I refer to the list and make it happen.

What do you do?

What do you do to refuel or recharge? When was the last time you put it completely in park to really refuel? Make time to “Sharpen the Saw”, as Stephen Covey encourages here.