I read an article in USA Today last month that stopped me dead in my tracks.  According to recent medical research, people who take a vacation regularly (twice a year) lower the risk of hypertension and heart attack by up to 60%.  The more vacations you take, the healthier you become.  Why?

The article further explained that good, old fashioned FUN is just as good for you as rigorous exercise, fruits and vegetables, and a good night’s sleep.  Frequent vacations bring relaxation, which opens up the door for fun activities.  And this makes you live longer and increases the overall quality of your life while you are alive by reducing the stress hormones that cause your heart to over-exert itself with worry, tension, and anxiety.

Leaders have a very difficult time with this concept.  Whether you are a pastor, a youth minister, an administrator, or a coach, when you are in a position of leadership where things MUST get done, deadlines MUST be met, and you never really get CAUGHT UP, you can always find one more thing to do.  One more phone call to make before you head home for supper with the family.  One more email to send before you go to bed.  One more spread sheet to print out.  But this doesn’t just apply to leaders.  It’s true for moms and dads and teachers and clerks and cab drivers.  We all tend to fill our lives until there is no margin.  And we neglect fun.

Granted, some people have too much fun.  Our culture is replete with lazy folks who will not work, live off their parents perpetually or just enjoy the couch too much.  But for the most part, our obsession with work (which is rooted in an our obsession with stuff, security, and significance) is killing us.  The science is solid.  The doctors and experts all agree.  If we don’t disconnect, turn off the Blackberry, and let our emotions and our spirits relax and refresh as we reconnect with God and our families, we will die.  Way too early.

What do you do for fun?  What do you enjoy, both alone and with your spouse, that you schedule weeks in advance?  What expenditures can you cut out during the year to be able to afford a weeklong vacation with your family next summer?  What small, fun things can you do weekly that will lower your cortisol levels, decrease your stress and your anxiety and your blood pressure?

Prioritize fun.  Without neglecting your job or personal and professional responsibilities, plan in advance the ways you will unplug from the deadly, consuming rat race.  Sit down with you husband or wife and put it on the calendar.  Then say no to anything that might come up that would steal you away from the fun.  A movie.  An overnight getaway to a bed and breakfast.  A walk around the park holding hands.  A concert.  Prioritize it now.

And in case you wonder…here is my fun list for the past week.  Clemson game Saturday. Bear hunting Monday.  Stryper (yes, Stryper) concert Tuesday.  And yes, I did kill a bear yesterday.  Now that is fun.