I Am Proud of Myself

Check out these statistics.  The average minister works 10.5 hours a day, 6 days a week equaling a total of 63 hours per week.  Crazy right?  Especially since so many people think that all we do is show up on Sunday and "do our thing".  I have had countless numbers of people say to me, "I would love it if all I had to do was work on Sunday."  Little do they know.

The truth is, the task of ministry can be overwhelming and ever-consuming which isn't healthy.  My personality lends itself to this unhealthy lifestyle.  My wife is constantly telling me to slow down and take a break.  I hate it when she does that and generally offer one of the following excuses.  "Honey, I just don't have enough time!" or "I have some really important things to do" or "People expect me to be available" or "I don't feel like I need a break."  Whatever I use as my excuse she always laughs and reminds me that I am not as important as I think and that the work will be there when I get back.  She is so right.

Anyway, last week was a crazy week for me.  My general inclination was to dive in head first and not come up for air until I knew everything that I thought needed to be taken care of was done.  On the advice of my wife I changed my strategy.  Here are some of the things I did.

1. I didn't blog. Angie isn't a blogger nor does she read blogs.  In fact, and this may fly in the face of some who blog, but she thinks that they are a huge waste of time.  On several occasions she has made the comment, as I diligently typed out my blog or read someone else's, "Don't you have something more important to do than read or write a stupid blog."  At times that has offended me, but lately I have come to realize that if I am being honest with myself, many times I do have more productive, important things that I could and should be doing.  So, last week I only did those things that were of supreme importance.  Blogging wasn't one of them.

2. I spent time with positive people.  Whenever my life gets stressful I have to guard who I spend time with real closely.  I mean, let me be frank, there are some people who will suck every bit of emotional energy out of your life if you let them.  No need to describe the characteristics of these type of people because everyone knows the type of individual I am describing.  During stressful times, if I allow myself to spend time with these type of individuals, it doesn't take long before I become hyper negative and critical and downright miserable.  I did not let that happen last week.  I carefully and strategically positioned myself around some of the most positive people I know and the result was incredible.

3. I prayed more. Praying is such an awesome privilege. There are moments in my life when I don't see it that way, but when stress mounts, having the ability and freedom to go to God about what is going on in my life is so refreshing.  Recently there have been so many moments that I have poured out my heart to God in a painfully honest prayer only to have Him reassure me that He is with me and that He will never leave me.  Saying that sounds so fake I know.  In fact I debated whether to even write it because I, in no way, want to insinuate that I am one of these people that God talks to all the time.  But lately...it just seems like He has been speaking to me on a frequent and consistent basis.  Last week's prayer times were some of the best I have ever had.

4. I spent time with my wife. Angie isn't a needy wife at all.  She never begs me to spend time with her and she is so understanding when other things take precedence over our relationship even when they shouldn't. I didn't want that to happen last week, so I made sure I made time for her.  For example, on Friday we spent the day shopping for furniture.  Now, I hate to shop and so I thought I was making a huge sacrifice.  As it turns out, it was the best day of the week for me.  Not only is my wife fun to be with, she is my best friend.  I am so glad that I have her and that I prioritized being with her in the midst of a stressful week.

I don't say this very often because I am one who recognizes how much work I need in my life, but last week I made some great decisions in dealing with my stress and I am proud of myself!  I hope I can continue to do what I know helps me be the kind of husband, father and leader God wants me to be.