A day off...

I have not been in ministry long to learn that there is no such thing as a day off. It is just a work from home day. Maybe you do not dedicate as much time to work, but rest assured you will do something with work. 

There are two things that seem to bring me to work. The first is phone calls. It does not matter the day, there will probably be a phone call. Case in point, yesterday was thanksgiving. A day that you would think no one would call and they would focus on their family. Well, I received a call. 

The other thing that brings me to work is when I get ideas about church, God, or ministry. I often get new ideas to toy with when I turn my brain off from work. This is actually what brings me to work most. I think about work a lot. Ministry is not one of those jobs where you can leave it at work. There are so many things that you have to think about and try and solve. There are many people, personalities, conflicts, proposals, and other things that can not be solved simply. With so many different aspects to a problem/solution it takes some planning and problem solving. This often gets referred to as "church politics". No matter what is done there is always someone who will not be happy about it. I was congratulated by the new pastor this past week for being able to get the church behind painting, putting more furniture, and carpet in the youth room. A seasoned minister expected there to be issues with changing things. 

With these two things that bring me in often I have had to establish boundaries. Different people have different comfort levels and I have found mine. I turn my cell phone off when I do not want calls (but still should probably do it more) and sometimes screen calls. Like the call during thanksgiving. I did not listen to it until the next day because it could wait. The ideas and planning are harder to get away from. The best solution I have found for this so far is to have hobbies and things that I like to do. I play video games, read, cook,  hang out with friends and family, workout, and just watch tv. It seems simple, but it does help get away from work. 

The amazing thing is how God knew this and even put it as a commandment in the Bible.  We all need a sabbath to be rejuvenated and be able to honor God with the best work possible. This means really taking time to rejuvenate. I have found that the first day I get off is usually spent one of two ways: working on things for Kessia and my home, or trying to escape through the ways mentioned above. When there is only one day off then it usually means we work on things for home because they need to get done. I learned the importance of getting two days off in a row so that one of them can actually be a sabbath. I would encourage others to understand the importance of this time and make sure to have a day to rejuvenate. Without that we are just work in a different area. No need to be legalistic about it, just get it when you can and praise God by resting.