Badges are usually a pretty cool thing to have. they signify that we were involved with something special or that we were on a team that achieved something great. let’s talk about a badge that you and i do not want to wear - the badge of Workaholism. this is not something that will enhance your ministry or help you in your relationship with your family, staff and those closest to you. when you put in mad hours at church, only to miss your nite out with the peeps or to be away from your family when they have been waiting at home for you, you best not do this for a very long time. and this whole mentality of working for God so it is ok that i neglect those closest to me and my health is not a good answer.
We’ve all done it. we stay late when everyone else is off campus because that is the best time to get stuff done, or going in extra early in the morning. this is ok once in a while but if it is a habit for you then you need to consider some changes. if you are the person speaking up in an interview about your workaholism, wearing as a badge of hard work and honor, then stop. i hope that churches and pastors see this as a lack of stewardship on your part. you need to be able to work within parameters that are healthy for you. and this is not a blog abut your sleep habits. some of you will need less sleep than others. whatever your number is, you know it. if you do not, just ask your family and they will let you know how much sleep you need to not be a straight up buster in the morning.
you know what you can handle in a healthy way. you know when your eyes are burning and it feels like no matter what you eat you feel like crap. But effectiveness is the key. it is the essential goal in all your madness of life. you only have so much to give. i did not do this well in the early years of my ministry and Cobb saw this in me. in fact, since he had known me through most of my high school years, he was able to see that potential when he brought me on. we had tons of talks about it. we both failed many times in our ministries to be true to our personal time. however, i feel much better now. and i still speak to Cobb about it often.
Avoid the workaholism badge, no one thinks its a good one to have. your peeps will eventually wonder why you can’t keep your composure. so if you are running from place to place to give peeps the water from your buckets of effectiveness, just remember that the harder you run for a long period of time, the more water will spill out. then you will have less to give to others. take your time, stop every once in a while and remember that ministry will always go on even if you are not there. you just have to do your best when you are in the game. you can only run at those RPMs for so long. slow down, get your pace, and run well.
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