Rick Warren's Daily DevotionalSample

Buffer Your Schedule In preparation for a decade of destiny, we've been talking about the need to be physically healthy - that God wants us to take care of our bodies. And I want to stress one more time that unrelenting stress harms our bodies. Why do we wait until our health plummets before we decide to create margin in our lives? The Bible teaches that your body needs downtime in order to heal and re-energize. Listen to why this is so important: when you're overloaded by activity, you can only think of yourself. You're in survival mode, just trying to make it through another day. And that limits your usefulness in ministry! When you have no downtime or margin in your life and God taps you on the shoulder, saying, "I'd like you to do this for me," your first response isn't joy. Your first response is, "Oh, no! Another thing to do! Sorry, God -- I'd like to do that, but I'm just too busy." We end up resenting the great opportunities God brings into our lives. But when we deliberately and specifically add downtime into our lives, we become available for God to use us as we head into this decade of destiny. You don't have to live on overload. You don't have to live in survival mode. Begin today to build a buffer around your schedule. Then enjoy the benefits of margin -- and see what God does next!