Last Friday I took Benjamin to his first Cleveland Indians game. It was a thrill watching his eyes light up as he caught his first glimpse inside of the nearly-full stadium! Everything was so exciting to him - from the gigantic escalators, to the roving stadium vendors, to the humongous scoreboard, to "Slider" the big purple/pink Indians mascot. I knew it was an atmosphere his little 6 year-old eyes had never witnessed before. He was overwhelmed. Somewhere between the 4th & 5th inning Benjamin looked at me with panic in his eyes and emphatically said, "I want to go... now!" We had just been to the restroom, so I knew he didn't need to go. I had already spent $15 on food for the 2 of us, so I knew he wasn't hungry. He had completely healed from the stomach flu several days ago, so I knew he wasn't going to heave. I took him to an uncrowded area and realized, this kid is so over-stimulated and exhausted that he almost had a panic attack. After just a few quiet minutes away from all the normal ballpark sights and noise, he was ready to take in more baseball, food, and fun. The game went 13 innings and Ben was actually fairly upset when we finally left around midnight after the 11th inning ended. This reminded me of full-time ministry. I absolutely love everything I do - worship planning and leading, discipleship, evangelism, sermon planning, counseling, and preaching & teaching. Sometimes I don't know when to stop. Then there are those times that I hit the wall and need a breather. It's the law of the Sabbath. God has made us with a built-in need for periodic rest. Once we take that needed breather... a weekly day off, or a periodic vacation, we will be much better equipped to serve God over the long haul.
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