As a young Pastor, I realized early on the wisdom of the phrase: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Attributed to Saint Ambrose, this well-known phrase means that it is always advisable to follow the conventions of the area in which one is residing. Accordingly, I quickly learned that it was prudent for me as a Pastor to take my own time off and/or away when most of the congregation did.
In other words, it was not advisable for me to work through the week of July 4th while everyone else was gone, and then take my own vacation the week after school started back in the fall once everyone else was back in the proverbial saddle. For this reason, along with many others in my church family, I have been enjoying a little “down time” this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Of course, the great irony is that such “down time” can very often be “up time”! By this I mean that not being in the office, nor in meetings, nor out visiting, nor writing or delivering sermons, etc., I have found myself with the extra time needed to catch up on a small stack of items that, while not urgent, nonetheless needed attention.
My practice is to collect up such matters in a stack on the corner of my desk; and then to address them when I finally find the time. Until I do, I always see them as uncompleted projects. Thus, having now devoted the last two days to the disposition of such projects, all that comes to mind is another phrase – one made popular by Jackie Gleason: “How sweet it is!”
Leonardo da Vinci once famously declared that a well-filled day brings blessed sleep at its completion. I have found this sentiment to be true in the past; and I expect that it will true again today. For this reason, I look forward to a good night’s sleep tonight.
It strikes me that such a sentiment applies not only to a well-filled day, but also to a well-filled year. As we approach the end of 2019 and as 2020 looms, now might be a good time for you and me to ask ourselves just how productive we have been over the past year. It might also be a good time to ask ourselves how we might be more productive this coming year.
Ultimately, of course, the same is true for all of life. The full quotation from Leonardo da Vinci referenced above is: “Just as a well-filled day brings blessed sleep, so a well-employed life brings a blessed death.” The great sense of accomplishment that I have felt the last evening or two as I have cleaned up so many lingering projects has now reminded me once again of how I hope to feel when I come to the end of my time in this world.
In all of this, I have been reminded that a well-filled life comes about as a result of well-filled years, which themselves come about as a result of well-filled months, and these by well-filled weeks, and these by well-filled days, and these by well-filled hours, and these, ultimately, by well-filled moments! For this reason, I am committing myself to making the most of every moment in 2020! I urge you to join me and do much the same.
Together, we can make 2020 one of the sweetest years yet!
In other words, it was not advisable for me to work through the week of July 4th while everyone else was gone, and then take my own vacation the week after school started back in the fall once everyone else was back in the proverbial saddle. For this reason, along with many others in my church family, I have been enjoying a little “down time” this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Of course, the great irony is that such “down time” can very often be “up time”! By this I mean that not being in the office, nor in meetings, nor out visiting, nor writing or delivering sermons, etc., I have found myself with the extra time needed to catch up on a small stack of items that, while not urgent, nonetheless needed attention.
My practice is to collect up such matters in a stack on the corner of my desk; and then to address them when I finally find the time. Until I do, I always see them as uncompleted projects. Thus, having now devoted the last two days to the disposition of such projects, all that comes to mind is another phrase – one made popular by Jackie Gleason: “How sweet it is!”
Leonardo da Vinci once famously declared that a well-filled day brings blessed sleep at its completion. I have found this sentiment to be true in the past; and I expect that it will true again today. For this reason, I look forward to a good night’s sleep tonight.
It strikes me that such a sentiment applies not only to a well-filled day, but also to a well-filled year. As we approach the end of 2019 and as 2020 looms, now might be a good time for you and me to ask ourselves just how productive we have been over the past year. It might also be a good time to ask ourselves how we might be more productive this coming year.
Ultimately, of course, the same is true for all of life. The full quotation from Leonardo da Vinci referenced above is: “Just as a well-filled day brings blessed sleep, so a well-employed life brings a blessed death.” The great sense of accomplishment that I have felt the last evening or two as I have cleaned up so many lingering projects has now reminded me once again of how I hope to feel when I come to the end of my time in this world.
In all of this, I have been reminded that a well-filled life comes about as a result of well-filled years, which themselves come about as a result of well-filled months, and these by well-filled weeks, and these by well-filled days, and these by well-filled hours, and these, ultimately, by well-filled moments! For this reason, I am committing myself to making the most of every moment in 2020! I urge you to join me and do much the same.
Together, we can make 2020 one of the sweetest years yet!