Ministry, that is. And it took me a long time to figure that one out.
Coming out of Seminary, I had the mentality of a sprinter. I would get to my first parish quickly, fire out of the blocks and run as hard as I could toward the finish line.
Then the finish line began to move.
Every time I thought I had drawn near, it moved. There was the new Stewardship Campaign and the Building Campaign. Or the emphasis on evangelism or prayer. Or a concerted effort to contact all the inactives. Sometimes, the expectation was that all the above would take place at the same time.
I wore myself out. Burned myself out. I got a quick start out of the blocks and ran myself into the ground.
A friend from Hilton Head Island, SC helped me to see that ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. He urged me to simply be faithful to what God had called me to do and then watch what God would accomplish. Very wise advise, indeed.
Still, it's hard. As a pastor you want to be there for people. And you can really manufacture a bucket full of guilt when it seems that you are failing people.
There's phone calls you intended to make but forgot. The cards you meant to send out but never got to. The commitment you made to pray only to have gotten involved in something else.
The last few weeks I've worked a ton of hours and I'm tired. And it's not just being tired physically. Ministry brings with it a lot of stress. Sometimes I don't handle the stress very well. And looking at my calendar for this week, I can count at least three stressful situations and I'm already dreading them.
Today is my day off. I'll lay around here like a slug. And feel guilty about that.
I need to pray and remind myself: it's not about me...it's all about the Lord...I can do all things through Him who gives me strength...be faithful and let Him deal with the campaigns, the emphasis' and everything else listed in my planner...to find my joy and my help in my Lord and Savior who loved me and gave Himself for me...to thank Him for His agape love.
Maybe this week doesn't look so bad after all.
