What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he toils under the sun?

—Ecclesiastes 1:3

Did you know that almost 25 percent of Americans don’t take any paid time off (PTO) in any given year?

I wasn’t surprised to learn this statistic. Leisure is severely underappreciated in our modern hustle culture.

It made me think back to all my seasons in life when I worked for other people. Whether it was as a graveyard shift Waffle House waitress, an administrative assistant at a hotel, an adjunct instructor at a state college, or an editor at a Big Five publisher—among the many other jobs I’ve had—one commonality was that it felt hard to get away and take time off. I’d typically be pulling all-nighters, writing and grading papers. Crashing and burning became normalized, a vicious cycle I struggled to escape from.

After I clocked out or was at home, many times I was still working or thinking about work. Burnout was the norm rather than the exception. Today, with email and smartphones, unplugging from work can be even more challenging than it was back then.

Of course, I must accept responsibility for my contribution to any excess work I’ve done over the years. A lack of boundaries, an inability to say no, and a tendency to find my identity in being a “hard worker” often compelled me to push myself in ways that were unhealthy—mind, body, and spirit.

Before he became a pastor, my husband worked a demanding corporate job in finance. Particularly during different times, such as the end of the fiscal year, it wasn’t unusual for him to put in sixty-plus hours in a week and have to go into the office on weekends.

Although we worked our tails off, vacation was generally a nonnegotiable. We took every PTO day owed to us, and we traveled to visit family, friends, and fun destinations. We have many fond memories of those trips.

On my YouTube channel, I recently shared a reflection about family vacations and how I didn’t get to experience these in my youth. In contrast to my upbringing, vacations for my own family have remained nonnegotiable. Throughout my children’s lives, we’ve taken them on annual adventures around the country, and I love that they’ll be able to reminisce about those trips for years to come—even after my husband and I are no longer with them.

Taking vacation and traveling is both a privilege and a blessing from the Lord. I hope I never take this blessing for granted, and I’m striving to instill the same gratitude in my children.

If it’s been a while since you’ve taken vacation or you’re struggling to truly unplug during your time away, I pray that you’ll ask God to help you find ways to rest in Him, whether you’re relaxing at home during a staycation or venturing out into the world.

Let’s embrace the rest He graciously provides us in Jesus Christ, who sustains us until we’ve finished running our race and receive our eternal reward.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

—Matthew 11:28

With love in Christ,

Amanda

xoxo

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.