Life is busy.  God does not desire us to be burnt out because we are losing our balance. Finding balance in work, life and ministry is important.

Make time for what’s important

We truly can make time for what is important to us.  There will always be too many things vying for our time, but God has given us the ability to choose.  We have to be willing to choose to let some things go in order to have time for what matters. 

I do much of the behind-the-scenes paperwork for our church.  Since we don’t have a church office, I do a lot of my work at home.  Our church owns a coffee shop, so sometimes I work there.  Whenever I do, it seems like I don’t get anything accomplished because I find myself talking to the employees, the customers, and people I know from church who are there.  In those moments I have to decide which is most important to me – getting paperwork done or connecting with people? 

Growing up, it seemed like our house was never clean, yet whenever I needed to talk about a problem, my mom was always willing to listen.  My mom knew that a clean house was not as important to her as being available for her kids.

What is important?

• Decide what is most important for you.
• To have time for what is important, you may have to be willing to give up something else.  What can you give up?
• Instead of saying, “I didn’t have time,” practice saying, “I didn’t make time.”  By using the different phrase it keeps you mindful of what you are choosing to make time for.

Simplify or stop

Sometimes we need to cut out some things in our lives.  It is okay to say no.  There are so many wonderful opportunities for us to be involved in, but we can’t do them all.  When we are overcommitted, we are not able to do all things well.  Something will suffer whether it is our health (physical, emotional, spiritual), our family, our work, or our ministry.  

If you need to stop:

• If God is calling you to give up something, be willing.  You don’t need to feel guilty if you are listening to God.
• Pray for a replacement.  Pray that God brings the right person to step up to fill your shoes.
• If areas of your life are suffering and you aren’t enjoying what you are doing, take time to stop and evaluate.  Maybe a temporary break is all you need.

Some things we don’t need to quit, but we can become more efficient in how we do them.  Some practical ideas:

• De-clutter: open your mail right by the trashcan or recycling bin.  Have labeled bins for children’s toys and teach your kids where to put their toys.  If you don’t need it or use it, throw it away or give it to charity.
• Plan ahead: make a grocery list before going shopping.  Form a tentative menu for the week, so you know what items to purchase and don’t have to spend time each day trying to figure out what to make for supper or don’t have to run to the store several times a week.  When running errands, think about where you need to go and which errands are located close together so you can cut out extra drive time.

Part 2: https://mnbtg.org/resources/life-issues/balancing-life-work-and-ministry-part-2

Part 3: https://mnbtg.org/resources/life-issues/balancing-life-work-and-ministry-part-3-new-moms