I am so grateful for the university where I teach. Every three to seven years, professors can apply for a semester off from teaching, called a sabbatical. I have just finished my third one in 23 years of teaching, and each time I have found ways to improve the quality of my breaks. Here are some guidelines to consider when asking for time off.

Length: Start a dialogue with your boss, and then set a timeframe for your get-away. Consider a minimum of one week (three days isn’t long enough) to three months—or six months  of time away if it’s feasible. I know pastors who at their 10- or 15-year anniversary will take a sabbatical. My pastor this year took off June through August for a sabbatical, and our youth pastor will be taking three months next year. When I served in a local church as a youth pastor, I created two weeks to two-month sabbaticals for volunteers so they could get away from the ministry and come back refreshed.

Goals: Set realistic and achievable goals such as a certain number of books to read or relationships to establish. I am a person who needs structure, so for this sabbatical I took Tuesday and Thursday as reading and writing days. Each afternoon was spent swimming at the indoor pool. Friday was dedicated to prayer and silence. Mondays and Saturdays were flex days, often for housework, play time and drinking coffee.

Peddle off the Metal: Much of our get-away time is so we are able to detoxify from the pressures of ministry, to create new buffers and boundaries, to relish the downtime and shut off the engine. Learning to take the foot off the gas for a short season is huge when it comes to connecting with God. We cannot know what is going on beneath the surface of our lives until we slow down and take a break.

Identity Issues: Sabbath will reveal not only our character but also from where we derive our identity. One of the first addictions I gave up for a month was outside speaking engagements, and I realized quickly how much of a drug this was in my life. I had to practice resting in the Lord and come back to the foundational truth: My hope is built on Christ alone, not my ministry.

Settling Down: Phillip Phillips’ song “Home” says, “Hold on / to me as we go / as we roll down this unfamiliar road / and although this wave is stringing us along / Just know you’re not alone /  cause I’m going to make this place your home.” Sabbatical is an unfamiliar road. I assure you that if you take time away from the ministry, you will be refreshed and learn to settle down and make this place of rest your home.

Don’t Be Surprised by Surprises: Not everything will be smooth. We lost a family member to cancer, and one of our best friends moved away. Yet there were some glorious moments. On the first leg of our trip to teach in the United Kingdom, we visited the Hatfield House, built in 1611; and to our surprise, we had no idea who was going to be there that day: Prince Charles. We got to meet and talk with him for a few minutes. What an awesome experience.Sabbath will have some serendipitous moments. Early in my sabbatical, I was awarded a teaching grant, which enabled me to travel with my wife and kids to Athens, Greece; and Ephesus (Turkey) during the last part of our European trip. Visiting some of the places where the apostle Paul taught and preached was a dream come true.

So my advice…You’ll never know who you might meet or the places you’ll get to visit until you take a break. Start planning it today.