Yesterday my friend Ivan stopped by for lunch and conversation. Ivan wrote his doctoral dissertation on the subject of pastoral burnout, so I was eager for any advice he could give on how to better pace life and ministry in a sustainable way.
He had one piece of advice: Not to push myself too hard in the early weeks of my return. Yes there will be people to reconnect with and yes there will be numerous issues to catch up on, but I need to maintain a steady pace.
The genius of what Ivan had to share with me was the questions he asked me to think through: (1) What are the things that trigger stress for me? That is important to identify so that I can minimize the occurrence of such events and better deal with such stresses when they arise. (2) What is my philosophy of ministry? What is my mission in life and ministry, and what are my governing values? (3) What are my expectations? Are they in reasonable alignment with what my churches expect of me, or way beyond?
These are all good issues for any of us to think through and apply to our particular lives and businesses.
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Sounds like Ivan shared some great insights with you. Glad you had a great lunch and conversation.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with your closing sentence.
ReplyDeleteI keep wondering, how can ordinary people have sabbatical. I never really felt I had more that 2 or 3 days to rejuvenate, contemplate and make spiritual strides until Social Security provided a baseline income to relieve the pressure. Most people don't have jobs that pay them for more than a short vacation during which they overstretch their budget and there nerves.
What will you have to say to them when you come back?
I've got that in the sermon, Reola. The answer is this -- take all the leave time your company gives you. Days off. Holidays. Personal necessity days. Bereavement leaves. Paternity/maternatiy leaves. Vacations. And yes, many companies do have sabbatical leave policies.
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