Saturday’s posts will be about recreation…
Re-creating ourself – away from the office…
Workaholism is a terrible disease that plagues our country, our families, our health, and yes, even our ministers.
In my first year of ministry i received two of the best pieces of advice regarding my work, and longevity, as a minister…
- You should NEVER work more than 2 0f the 3 time periods of the day. If you know you’re going to be out in the evening, than arrange to come in late… or be out in the afternoon. Plan your calendar accordingly!
- There is ALWAYS more ministry to be done… if you plan to stay “at the office” until it’s all done then you’ll never end up going home.
As ministers we NEED to have a life outside of the work that we do on campus!
- We need to spend time with family and/or friends.
- We need to engage in the delight of a hobby.
- We need to take care of non-work related tasks that often get pushed to the side when we’re in the midst of “doing ministry.”
- We need to be with people who fill us up… as most of our work on campus involves us pouring ourselves out into the lives of others.
At the end of a week packed full of ministry, we NEED to be willing to spend some time caring for ourselves… so that when “Monday” rolls around (I recognize that “Mondays” and “weekends” happen at different times of the week depending on where and how we do ministry) we’ll be ready for a new week of investing in the lives of students!
So how do you re-create?
What are the life-giving, non-ministry related, activities that you spend time doing on the weekends?
Do you struggle to disconnect yourself from campus? If so, why?
I love what I do on campus, just like you… but over the course of time I have come to realize that without the proper attention to certain areas of my life as a minister… like intentionally stepping away from campus on Saturdays to care for myself in some significant ways, the recipe for burnout and/or moral failure is much less likely to present itself.
We have to remember that God won’t leave campus just because we do…
In fact, He’s a lot more likely to use us if we are refreshed and ready after we’ve joined Him in re-creating ourselves!
One thought on “re-creation”
I too have begun to appreciate this truth even more over that last several years. I have found my family “burns out” on my ministry long before I do. The more I am faithful to being present with my family the more likely they are to support what I am doing with my campus ministry.
There are times that we need to completely disengage campus ministry. I am also wondering though about ways to re-create even within the ministry context we find ourselves in. It would not be intended to replace my disengagement. Are there ways that I can re-create with students. One of the most re-creating things I can do is backpack or camp. Sometimes I need to do this by myself, but making a point to do this with some of my students may also be beneficial. No agendas. No outcomes. Simply being together.
I know this isn't the point of your post, but it got me thinking. Thanks Guy.
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