Continuing yesterday's thoughts about learning to say no to other's requests for your time when necessary (so that we can get our calendar under control and get proper rest):
Awhile ago I sat across from a man in our church who said something like, "I just think ministry is a 24/7 job and you need to always be available to people in the church." I thanked him for his opinion and told the man that Jesus is available to the church 24/7 but I am not (I seem to recall even Jesus retreating too during his earthly ministry by the way). I explained that my primary ministry is to my wife and my kids, and they get my time first when I'm not "at work."
I've met many pastors/church leaders who have a hard time dealing with the expectations of others such as the one of the man I mentioned. Two fairly common reasons for this that I have observed/experienced in various degrees are:
A Messiah Complex - Pastor, you are not Jesus, really. I know you know that, but we all need to remind ourselves of that. We cannot meet every need, heal every wound and accomodate every request. We are merely instruments in God's hands. He doesn't need us, but gracefully chooses to use us. Sometimes the best thing you can do is step aside and refuse to come to the rescue so that a person has nowhere else to go but Jesus (which is the best place they can go).
People pleasing - Some thrive on the approval of others and some fear the disapproval of others. Whatever the root, people pleasing is bad for you and your ministry. It is helpful to remind ourselves that we serve people but we seek to please God. It is even more important to remember that we already have God's approval because of what Jesus has done not what we do. When we rest in that it is easier to serve people according to their needs than our need for approval.
The more we focus on Jesus and the less we focus on ourselves, the less these issues will trip us up and keep us from resting our bodies AND souls.
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