Let me introduce you to the concept of a “Reflection Day.”

Any good exercise regimen respects the fundamental human need for rest. If you were to lift weights every day it wouldn’t be long before you wore out. Athletes have a name for this: it’s called overtraining. Here’s what the Wikipedia article on overtraining says:

Overtraining is a physical, behavioral and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes.

Did you catch that? “Exceeds their recovery capacity.” Recovery is key to training. Over the years I’ve observed this same dynamic with discipleship training. We tend to tell people they must read their bible every day or they’ll fall out of the habit. But my experience is just the opposite; require them to do it every day without without rest and they’re guaranteed to quit out of sheer exhaustion (or boredom) within a few weeks, if not sooner.

When we rest from physical exercise we aren’t being lazy. In fact, on the inside – by a process that is still somewhat mysterious – our bodies are hard at work rebuilding muscle tissue into newer and stronger pathways. We are literally being transformed. It’s the same way with spiritual training. If we don’t regularly rest from the intensity of the regimen and provide time to reflect on what we’re learning then we aren’t giving our hearts and minds adequate time and space to recover and be transformed.

Today is your first Reflection Day. Do not read scripture. Do not read anything theological. Do something restful and relaxing during the time you would normally be doing your “exercise.” Give your mind time to chew on what you’ve been reading and learning up to this point.

If you have kids, take some of the time today to think about an activity you can do with them over the weekend that imparts some of what you’ve been learning this week. You could read them a bible story and have them illustrate it, lead them on a hike while talking about Christ’s way of leading people, or take them to serve at Bread of Life, Grape Day Park, or something else. Be creative!