Come Away And Rest Awhile - How To Keep Your Ministry From Killing You

SECRET FORMULA

Ever since I was a little kid, I loved computer games. But it wasn't until I ran across Jane McGonigal's TED video that I realized how much games have to teach us. Our lives are filled with constant demands from ourselves and others: fears, doubts, decisions, misunderstandings, problems, and the cycle never seems to stop. Life can be tough, and if you aren't ready for it, "it'll beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently" as my good friend Rocky says. Jane's secret formula is three to one. Three power-ups for every major enemy you face.

WHAT WE'RE MADE FOR

You, like me, want to give and give and give till it hurts, but the truth is we are made for pleasure and not for pain. And if we fail to give ourselves an appropriate amount of licit pleasure, you know what happens - we'll go after illicit ones. Now, some people will object, and say "That's stupid. I don't have time for this." OK, great, what are you doing reading this article? Are you escaping right now? Hmm, something to think about.

THE DEATH SPIRAL

Did you know that 80% of all sick days in America are connected to stress? And not just illness, getting fat, losing muscle, feeling tired all the time, snapping at people you love. Have you ever noticed how people who are stressed tend to put things off until the deadline is about to hit, and then they work themselves into a frenzy? Ever been there? Me too. Ever yell at your spouse or kids or best friend or roommate after being totally stressed at work? Yeah. The worst part though is what I call the death spiral. Have you ever been on this one? You're totally stressed right, so eventually you must have some pleasure. What do you do? Sin. Now it can be different for different people: food, shopping, porn, etc. The problem is that it doesn't end there because after you've done it you feel terrible. So on comes the guilt and the shame, and then the negative self-talk: "Why am I such a horrible person? What's wrong with me? Am I really such a loser?" So now that you've given yourself this negative identity, you begin to live two lives. To everyone else, you're Mr. or Miss On-the-ball, but behind the scenes, you've got your deep dark secret eating away at you until you give up... or settle. Ever been there? It's a nasty place. It's hell on earth.

WHAT IF?

Now, you could decide right now that enough is enough. You could hit a point where you say, "That's it! Not another minute. Never again! I've had it!" And then you'll probably go down in history as a great saint because you'll get your soul back and be able to fight for others to get theirs back also. Your ministry will stop feeling like pushing to get people to do stuff and become what it was always supposed to be: serving the greater good, loving others, drawing others to Christ by the power of attraction that's in everyone who lives as God meant them to live.

So here's my invitation:

1. Make a list of some things you love to do that feed your mind, body, heart, or spirit and you don't have to go to confession for afterwards.
2. Schedule some of those things on a regular basis: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.

God bless. Live from your heart.