What if I told you I was going to give you something that cost me thousands of dollars?

To begin, imagine a helicopter.  As you know a helicopter is a collection of many different parts working together. The question is, what do you need to fly a helicopter?

There are, of course, the rotary blades.  No blades, no helicopter.

There is some kind of yoke to maneuver, as well as a seat.

There is a high performance motor of some sort.

We could go on listing parts, but that will do for now.

In my own experience, most of us like to soar above the earth like helicopters in search of something great.  I’ve learned it is very easy to be devoted to a single purpose.

For example, we may focus on growing our business for a long period of time.  Or we may focus on becoming successful.  The endeavor is unimportant.  The point is, if we’re not careful, something debilitating happens when we become obsessed with our objective.

Years ago, I remember talking with my mentor.  I was about to go on vacation, actually an all-work vacation, if there is such a thing.  My mentor noticed my preoccupation with work and my goals and commended me for being passionate.  Then, he wisely, asked me what I planned on doing other than my mission.  In fact, the things he suggested seemed unimportant at the time.

It’s easy to become so engrossed with our mission that we forget to unplug regularly.

Getting back to our introduction, there is part of a helicopter that many people forget about.  In order to have a successful flight, a helicopter needs a place to land!

By itself, despite its expensive parts and precision engineering, a helicopter cannot fly without a place to land.  Neither can you.

So, what is your R.M.D?

Your R.M.D stands for your Rational Meaningful Detachment.

These are the activities you engage in to unwind and let your soul catch up with your body.

As for myself I have many.  I enjoy walking outdoors.  Hunting.  Fishing.  Boatbuilding.  Writing.  Reading.

So what are yours?  Sit for a few minutes and write them down.

Maybe it’s been awhile since you engaged in any of those activities because your life has been moving too fast.

One common Rational Meaningful Detachment we all share is our homes.

While work is where we should be doing, home is a place we should be able to just be from time to time.  Imagine what our lives would be like if we never had the opportunity to rest and regroup?

Years ago, I asked a homeless man how he survived on the streets in the Northeast.  “I just stand on the street somewhere so I don’t fall asleep”, he said.  That was never God’s plan.

God has designed it so that we can work and play.  In the garden, Adam and Eve were to dress and keep the land before there was ever a curse.  Genesis 2:15 reads, “God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.”

While God expects us to work, He also expects us to rest.

However, there’s an epidemic.  Many people today are constantly working and never resting.  We see the effects all around us.

Families are blowing apart at the seams.  We use band aids rather than curing the real problem. The hospitals and institutions are full.  Crime is escalating…why work when you can steal.

You may never have considered work a sin, but it can be according to the bible. ^“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day. (Exodus 20: 8-11).

Work is a sin when we don’t rest as required.

And just as we earn a paycheck for working, when we disobey there are repercussions.

The repercussions come in the form of frayed health and nerves.  Sometimes they are eternal.

The good news is that Jesus came, lived, died, was buried and rose again so that we could have abundant life.

Better yet, he offers us the gift of forgiveness for free!  If it costs something, it wouldn’t be a gift.

Some of you are working seven days a week.  Stop it.  Right now.  That’s not God’s plan.

Remember, just like the helicopter, we need to land regularly.

Do you know why?

We need to refuel.  You know what happens when a helicopter runs out of fuel and we’re no different.

1.  One place you can refuel this weekend is church.  If you don’t have one, find one.  Call a friend who attends one and ask if you can go with them.

If you don’t have a friend to go with, invite someone else to go with you.  Take your family.

I promise you that whatever church you attend, the people who are there will be glad to see you.

2. Plan to attend regularly.  Not just once.  Regularly.  Weekly.

Church isn’t a man made idea.  It’s a God idea.  God knew we would need a place to meet regularly to stay on course and be encouraged, so he instituted Church.

This lesson cost me thousands of dollars to learn while pursuing a doctorate, but it’s yours for free.  May God bless you richly as you pursue your Rational Meaningful Detachment!

“So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.  Hebrews.” 10:22-25