Check that. I mis-spoke. But hopefully the title got your attention. What I meant to say is “why you should absolutely take all of your vacation time without fail.” Throughout my ministry I have encountered leaders who bemoaned the fact toward the end of the calendar year that they did not use all of their vacation days. When this is done it is often shrouded in a subtle suggestion that they have worked so hard that they did not have time to take all of their vacation days. But that is not the way that I hear them when they make this statement either as a complaint or a boast. I look at the person, I smile, and in my mind I’m thinking “I’m so sorry you are mismanaging your time.” If someone did not take the time allotted to them it is because they struggle with prioritizing, personal time management, or both.
My intent is not to offend you if you have made this statement yourself but to challenge you to think differently. Here are three reasons you should take all of the vacation time that has been allotted to you.
First is because your vacation time does not solely belong to you. What? Your vacation time also belongs to your spouse. It belongs to your family. Failure to take time away means that you are withholding time from them. You may counter that you don’t enjoy time with your family. That is a totally different issue but it actually reinforces the point. Take the time and whatever steps are needed to repair or improve on relationships with your spouse, children, grandchildren, or parents. Give your family your time. That is the most valuable gift of all. Give it without apology and give it without fail.
Second, time away refreshes and recharges you so that you can be more productive when you are back at work. It may be that you own a business or you are the person “in charge” and you fear that everything will fall apart if you are away. Once again this reveals a gap in your leadership. Suppose you don’t take time off so that you can always have your hands in the day to day operations or ministry. But what happens the day you fall ill or are involved in an unexpected accident and you are compelled to be away for days or months? At least on vacation you are available to consult to some degree though you are away. Being away allows others to step up, allows you to think about things that will improve your work, and makes you more appreciative of your work if you are blessed to be engaged with work that you love. If you don’t enjoy your work, again, that is a different issue and this exhortation is probably not applicable for you anyway.
Third, a healthy life is a balanced life. It is not acceptable to be lazy and I don’t imagine you tolerate laziness for those who work around you. However, it is equally egregious to be so captivated by your work that you can’t get away for a few days. Those people are known as “workaholics.” You can take cruise, head to the mountains, take a staycation with time off at home, take a missions trip, or a week of sabbatical. Your time away may be to relax, travel, serve, or even work on those unfinished tasks around your home. Are you balanced? Do you work hard? You should. But a balanced person enjoys family time, play time, relax time, serve time and work is a joy when all is in balance.
I am in the midst of a heavy week at work and I’m “busting it” to get the job done. But I’ve got to wrap this up because I’m off on Monday through Wednesday next week. I have had the day’s marked off for several months and they are locked in to my calendar. I’m looking forward to it and by Wednesday I’ll be anxious to get back to my work!