Earlier this year I had a couple of quieter weeks. I could catch up on some of the long and never finished to do list. I could think a bit more about the sermon. And read. If I were more godly, I could have prayed more.
But it is tempting to think, "Oh, I have a bit of spare capacity." Maybe I should launch a new initiative. Or I could take on a new commitment.
Now it is Lent, which comes with an extra course. I have two funerals in the works. I am going to see two couples about baptisms. There are various other meetings in the diary. Easter is looming. And suddenly the next couple of months look pretty busy.
And nobody wants a frazzled stressed pastor.
It is just not possible to say, "I'm sorry, your relative may be dying, but the diary is full and I am tired so I might be able to see her in two weeks on Tuesday at 4pm".
This is all by way of stating the obvious that there are ebbs and flows for most of us in what we have to do when. You need a bit of slack in the system at times. And you need to be flexible.
A diary too full of important urgent things is a recipe for stress. Take on too much and you might do none of it well. You and others will be frustrated. We want to know what is essential and to make sure we don't neglect that for the sake of the many other good and attractive options.
And neither do you want to be chronically under occupied or engaged.
Wise not to take on too much and to have a couple of things in the background that one might do one day if one has a moment.
A blessing and a curse of ministerial life is that there is always more one could do better, and we have to make our peace with that.
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