Are you negatively addicted to your ministry? Here are 26 questions to find out:
- Do you experience major swings in your eating habits, sleeping habits, or energy levels?
- Have you experienced one or more colds or other illnesses related to stress?
- Have you experienced weight gain (or muscle loss) due to stress, comfort eating, or lack of exercise?
- Are you neglecting your own prayer life to engage in ministry?
- Are you neglecting your own study to engage in ministry?
- Do you judge those who do less than you?
- Do you (secretly) fear that someone is or may be doing more than you?
- Do you brag about how much you're working?
- Do you take on extra activities to avoid feeling useless?
- Are you unable to quit even when everything you need to do is done?
- Do you keep working when everyone else around you is exhausted?
- Do you take on other people's to-do lists?
- Have you noticed that the fruits of your ministry are declining no matter how hard you push yourself?
- Is you whole life focused around your ministry?
- Have you abandoned activities you used to enjoy to focus on your ministry?
- Do most of your conversations revolve around your ministry?
- Have you repeatedly snapped at your spouse, children, or other loved ones when they suggested you take a break/vacation?
- Are all your new friends the people you minister to/with?
- Are your family members and old friends complaining about how little they see you anymore?
- Do you regularly check out to work on your ministry while with friends and family?
- Do you regularly argue with anyone who suggests you are working too hard?
- Do you hide how much you're really working?
- Do you lie about how much you're working?
- Are you constantly looking for money to spend on your ministry?
- Are you sometimes tempted to completely check out of your ministry for long periods of time?
- Do you need extended periods of rest to recover from all the ministry you're doing?
If you answered yes to more than 5 of these questions, you may be struggling with a destructive addiction to your ministry. One of the simplest solutions is developing a constructive addiction to your ministry which allows you to both be actively engaged in your ministry and continue growing so that you have even more to give in the future. This constructive addiction allows time for:
- personal and group prayer
- sleep
- physical exercise
- proper eating
- authentic friendships
- healthy marriage and family life
- hobbies/leisure
because as Augustine said, "You can't give what you don't have." God bless. Live from your heart.
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