Running on empty

Jackson Browne introduced a song in 1977 called “Running on Empty.” That is what too many of us in today’s world try to do. We run and run, and do and do, until we can’t run and can’t do any longer. Running on empty is a formula for disaster. It is just one of the reasons we sometimes fail to reach our goals.

Frequently a few laps before the end of a NASCAR race the caution flag comes out and the drivers slow down and follow the pace car. Usually at this point several drivers pull off the track to add gasoline, but sometimes the driver who is leading the race stays out on the track. Then the green flag comes out and the race begins at full speed again. The lead driver who didn’t stop for fuel crosses his fingers, and hopes his car will keep going. But, on the final lap his carburetor sputters and several drivers behind him speed by. No NASCAR driver ever won a race when his tank was empty. What is true in racing is even truer in life.

The depressing part of this scenario is that we can easily prevent the disasters we encounter when we try to run on empty. We are in at least one sense like an automobile. Our bodies are vessels that need to be filled, oiled, and maintained on a regular basis. If we neglect to refill our spiritual tank, we run out of gas.

That is why setting aside Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, is so important. God made us in such a way that every seventh day we need to rest from labor so we can refill our spiritual tank. Joining others at church in the act of corporate worship gives us the opportunity to reflect on where we have been and where we need to go. In addition to attending church to worship God, Sunday also gives us the time to rest physically in order to rejuvenate both body and spirit.

Trying to fill our days with more than we can do is not just a temptation that lay persons face. I have known several pastors who possessed great gifts for ministry who were used by God in powerful ways. But they did not take the time to regularly refill their physical and spiritual energy tanks, and they dropped out of the ministry. Literally no one is immune to the dangers that result from “running on empty.”

Let me share my personal testimony: Years ago I would periodically keep a log for two weeks of the time I spent preparing sermons, studying to teach, visiting the sick, counseling, attending meetings, dealing with administrative details, and doing other ministry tasks. I told no one that I was doing this. It was simply my way of evaluating what I was doing. My commitments averaged between 70 and 75 hours per week.

During a particularly busy time I arrived home one day for lunch and found a note on my chair that contained a long list of the things that consumed my time. At the top of the list, of course, was “church.” Next was the civic club of which I was a member and an officer. Then, the girl’s home where I was a charter member on the board of directors, then other organizations and involvements which occupied some of my time and energy. Finally, in last place was this word: “FAMILY.” The list was in my wife’s handwriting. She spoke not one word of complaint for all my activities, for she was as committed to Christian ministry as I am. No pastor ever had a more dedicated and faithful wife. She went home to be with the Lord on April 5^th.

It was the most powerful sermon I ever heard preached, and it found its target — me! I took the list, went into the living room by myself, and had a talk with the Lord. I was so heavily involved that I had not been home with my family a single night in three months. I went into the kitchen and gave the list to my wife upside down with the activities that didn’t involve ministry marked out. My family was now at the top of the list.

My problem: I was “running on empty.” I was leaving little time for what was most important. I decided not to do it anymore! If you are too busy and are running on empty, why not decide to do what I decided to do?