Today I slept in. It rained, but I planned to take today off. I don't run every day. Some days, I don't even run the whole distance – I'll take a break every mile or mile and half and walk for a bit. It sounds counterintuitive, but the breaks actually help my strength and endurance more than running all out all the time.

I take a day off after a long run, after several days of average runs in a row, or for the weekend. But I've also taken days off when I'm extra tired and could use the extra hour of sleep. (I try not to take advantage of that one.) I don't skip a day after a bad outing, though.

I need occasional breaks in my Christian race as well. Now I'm not suggesting taking a break FROM your faith and living like a heathen in order to strengthen your commitment. But we do need breaks from ministry from time to time. Jesus modeled this for us in the gospels. When do we need breaks?

Routine scheduled breaks – Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness to pray, and recharge. In a careful reading of the rest of Luke's gospel, you'll catch Jesus taking these timeouts frequently. Plan to go to Bible study rather than teach once in a while, or visit a different church. You might even attend a retreat or conference. The key is planning for it and not waiting for it to develop. Look at your 2011 calendar- when can you take a break?

After success – When the Twelve returned from a preaching and healing tour of Galilee, flush with success, Jesus immediately took them aside to a desert place to decompress. We tend to think you need to immediately build on success to perpetuate it. The break helps us remember the One who engineered the success, and our dependence on Him.

But not after failure – After Peter's denial, he'd given up on his ministry. He was sure he'd blown his opportunity and headed back to the fishing business. In John 20:15-22, Jesus reaffirms his call and encourages Peter to get back to work. When we experience a setback, our reflex is to quit. We question the path we're on, and God who put us there. That easily leads to completely abandoning our mission.

Before burnout – Just as your body can't function properly without adequate rest, we can't minister if our own well is dry. It's not selfish to take a day or a season off to recharge.

Don't stop, but rest.

Do you have a method for balancing ministry and personal renewal?