I’m not a workaholic. Not by any definition I know of. I’m really not a workaholic. Surely, I do protest too much, but I’ve never thought of myself as a workaholic.
Maybe there was a time when my work priorities were more than a bit skewed. Maybe my family didn’t always get the best of me. And maybe I struggled with taking vacations. Also, maybe I didn’t always use my day off as a day off.
It seems there was always another class to prepare for or a sermon to write, and I’ve always tried to work ahead. There was always someone to call or visit. And there were often fires to put out. Who better to do those things than me?
Add in the time spent dreaming, planning, and vision casting, and it seems like I never had an opportunity to sit back and coast. But I wasn’t a workaholic. No sir. Not me. Not this guy.
My superiors never counseled me to take a day off or use my vacation. Again, no sir. Not me. Not this guy. And let me assure you once again, I was not a workaholic—at least when I was asleep.
The last paragraph was written with tongue firmly in cheek.
The truth is, for a long period of time, I had no boundaries for myself or my family and had no idea I needed them. I was the go-to guy for anything and everybody. And unfortunately, it took a huge, big tragedy for me to recognize that I needed to reassess my priorities—how I used my time and when to say no, when to stay home, and when to go.
I can attest to the fact that I do better at this stage of life. I turn off when I get home. I let go of outside responsibilities. That doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally get out of whack and stress over things that still need to be done. But I’ve come to understand, to really recognize that I want and need regular time to unwind, reassess, and re-approach. I’ve come to know that everything doesn’t depend on me.
What led to being a workaholic? Probably too distinct things: an over abundance of self importance and a need to control my environment. I still fight those tendencies, but at this stage of life, I’m well aware of my inability to strong-arm my way through.
Thankfully, I’ve learned that taking time off pays huge dividends in peace of mind and the ability to recharge for the next thing that comes along. As it turns out, God said something about this a long time ago: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.””
(Psalms 46:10 NIV)
Time off? Vacation days? You betcha!
Les Ferguson, Jr. is a minister and faith-based author. He can be reached at lfergusonjr@gmail.com
