How complex and complicated life has become for a pastor You pack so much into your day that you often feel weighed down. Checking you emails over breakfast, trying to catch up with the family, and trying to plan your day even before hit the shower. Staying in touch used to involve talking to real, live human beings. Now we absorb data through a screen more often than not and the art of communication has become lost. I'm just as guilty as anyone else when it comes to that. That's why you're reading this blog (LOL)!
There’s so much to remember and so much to do in this overly connected world. It can feel like you’ve run a marathon by mid-morning. And the craziest part is, you get so busy rushing around trying to meet everyone’s needs that you forget your own half the time. You lose sight of what’s truly important. And all those significant, meaningful things you intend to do are never done.
Like spending time with people you love or doing something you enjoy. You start praying and planning for the next service as soon as the last one is over. And in spite of how many associates you have some still require the full attention of the pastor. You never have the real time to do some personal things because everything else seems so much more urgent and you feel guilty if you're not out saving the world around you. So, despite your best intentions, you relegate quality time to the bottom of the list.
If only things could be simpler. Then you’d feel lighter and be able to enjoy life more. But how do you make things simpler when they’re so overwhelming and complex on most days? The last thing you need is an extra protocol to follow or a complicated approach to living.
When someone invites you to a social event or asks for your help, you instinctively want to say yes. But if you always say yes you can end up rushing around from place to place, getting overwhelmed and frazzled just trying to jam it all in.
Instead, question your tendency to impulsively say yes. It’s OK to stop and think first. Ask yourself if you want or need to do this thing, or if you just feel obligated. Consider how it fits with your other commitments and plans. We pastors are so afraid of saying the word "No" because we might loose some members, but sometimes you have to use it. My health would be much better today if I had not have done some off the things I've done to try and accommodate everyone over the past few years. Pardon me, but just as preachers let people down, so do people let pastors down.
Reducing the things you obligate yourself to, whether they’re tasks or social activities, lightens your load. You’ll have less to remember and less to do, and that will simplify your life. you are not a machine, just a mere man. I happened to have figured that out to late.
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