balance in ministry and in life
July 15, 2009 | Ministry Life
I heard a startling statistic this weekend in a seminar hosted by Dr. Catherine Hart Webber and Georgia Schaffer, counselor. The stat said that ony 30% of Christian leaders do well over time.
What does that mean?
For many it means that they lose touch with their original call and with why they started in the first place.
For others it means that they burn out, break down, or their family suffers.
For a few it means that they live a life of hidden sin while publicly speaking against it and moral failure takes them down, and out.
Is this surprising to you? But what doesn’t surprise me is that this isn’t an overnight process. According to Georgia and Catherine, it happens over time as several factors come into play.
One is burnout due to lack of balance. Ministry takes place over family, over rest, over eating healthy, over sleep, over down time. Little by little you become vulnerable.
Another problem is when you lose focus. Ministry becomes your identity, instead of your passion. You are affected personally when things don’t work out, or you carry the load of the entire ministry on your shoulders, or your ego is affected by a leadership position.
Georgia stressed that many people stumble or completely fall or burn out when they don’t listen to others. Trusted people who will say “you’re acting like a Diva” or “take a break” or “where’s your family or friend time, buddy?”. You can become blind to your weaknessess when you don’t have accountability.
There were many other issues discussed, but it made me step back and look at my own life. Am I in balance? In most cases, yes. But there are also one or two areas that need a little work.
What about you? Does this resonate with you?
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Suzanne ~
This is so right on. I will print this out and hang it on the wall! Full time Christian service has become a vocation instead of a calling. So important to monitor our balance and allow ourselves to be accountable to others.
Blessings!
July 19th, 2009 at 7:50 pmThank you for your devotional entitled “Pine Sol”. I am a new mom. Your words are exactly what God intended me to hear this morning. I feel overwhelmed most days and after my little baby is asleep in his bed, I will sneak in there, look at his peaceful, precious body and be filled with guilt that I didn’t take enough time to just lay in the floor and play with him. He is going to grow up fast and I will try my very hardest, starting today, to make many memories with my children. Thank you!
July 21st, 2009 at 7:30 amSuzie,
July 21st, 2009 at 8:58 pmSometimes I get down on myself for not giving more time to ministry. Your post today reminded me that I am investing in the right places – home, family and my husband.
Thanks!
Lynn