Ministry Balance

In our day to day routine we are constantly busy. As women we are generally pulled into several different directions. Then when you add ministry and pastoring to the routine, things get out of balance quickly. Some of us are in full-time ministry either a pastor, chaplin, executive minister and so on. Then there's the sisters who are truly bi-vocational ministers. This group continue to hold down their full-time positions and work full-time in ministry.
We all know how it is just working a full-time job and caring for a family or going to school in the evening or the weekend.

Think back to when you were growing up and you saw your mother, grandmother, aunt or family friends always busy doing something. Cleaning the house, preparing dinner, washing clothes and the list goes on and on. Remember how you tried to help out but were told to go sit down or go outside. You knew they needed the help but they didn't want to involve other people to get the work done. Here are some quotes you might hear when trying to help:

• "If I needed help I would ask for help"
• "If you want something done right, then do it yourself"
• " You moving too slow, I'll finish it"
• "Why are you doing it that way"
• "I've been doing this before you were born"

Do I need to say more? This type of early experience have affected us today. We as women are prone to multi-tasking. Even in ministry we multi-task to the point where we do not want to delegate the work to others. Then if we do delegate the work and people are not doing it in a timely manner, we pick it back up. This is more than our cup overflowing, it is our plate is starting to crack under the pressure.
When we overload our plates things fall off. Our prayer life is shorter, we do not spend enough time in devotion with God, calendar is double and tripled booked, we become forgetful, misplaced things and we are not able to give our full attention to all the things that's important to us. We find ourselves tired, sick and maybe depressed because we try to be that SUPERWOMAN.
God is not looking for us to be Superwomen, but RevSisters who are able to give God quality time while balancing work, family, ministry and school. That quality time will start with prioritizing what is important to us. Do you know what is important to you?
When we sit down for a minute and reflect on all the people who can help us, we are better able to serve God and God's people in a more holistic way. If we continue to burn the candle at both ends as my father use to tell me, we will burnout in the middle of something. So before you get the to point of snapping at people, rolling your neck with you hands on your hip take a minute to steal away from the hectic life and find a place of peace and rest. You are the most important person to you. Take time to create the balance needed.
Preacher, how do I create balance? Well, I'm glad you ask it starts with taking care of yourself. We are always doing things for everyone else but we neglect ourselves and our health. These are the two things we need to keep healthy so that we are not physically and spiritually bankrupt.
Here are a few things you can do and you may have others you can add to the list

• Carve out a daily quiet time with God (ie. 15 minutes a day)
• Carve out a time to exercise 3-5 days a week (ie. 15-20 min walk a day)
• Carve out a weekly family time (a day or an evening with family or close friends)
• Delegate responsibility to others
• Organize and manage time (give yourself room to breath)
• Get a hobby (bowling, golfing, crossword puzzles and etc.)
• Pamper yourself (have a spa day, one day retreat and etc.)

Take time for youself and breath again. Ministry does not end when you are on empty.