In 2002, there was a 30 year-old Japanese man who died because he worked too much. I'm not kidding. You can read about it here. In fact, just last week, the Toyota Motor Corporation agreed to pay compensation to his young bride. Apparently, the man was working 80 hours of overtime a month, and he worked 114 hours of overtime the month he died!
What a sad story. But it happens far too often. Maybe the person doesn't die from overwork, but maybe his or her health suffers. Or maybe he loses his family because he's spending too much time at work. Or maybe she misses out on quality time with her husband and children because she's working too much.
Carrie (my wife) and I, at times, are guilty of working too hard at our jobs that we miss out on life with each other. That's why we LOVE to go on vacation. We just don't love it, we NEED it. So tomorrow morning, we leave for Williamsburg, VA. After a few warm days in Williamsburg (supposed to be 70 degrees all week), we will then head to Washington D.C. We've even scheduled a White House tour for next Tuesday! We will also celebrate our anniversary next Sunday!
So let me encourage you workaholics out there: Work hard, but don't work so hard that you miss out on what matters most. Don't work so hard that you miss out on your relationship with your spouse and kids. If you're a Christ-follower, don't work so hard that you neglect your relationship with Christ. Work is not your life. The Lord is your life (Deuteronomy 30:20).
And one more challenge: Go on vacation once or twice a year!
I plan on posting some pictures of our Christmas Vacation this week, so stay tuned!
Merry Christmas!
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