As a pastor and not too long ago graduate student, I know very well the reality of living pay check to pay check. You know the feeling. You budget your money just enough to get to the next pay day. You don’t buy groceries until pay day. You don’t eat out until pay day. You try to get by without getting gas until pay day. It is a hard way to live. It is easier than living without a pay day, but it is much harder than having enough money to not have to worry about pay day. It is so much better when you have budgeted, saved, and held back enough that you don’t live in longing of pay day. It frees you up to enjoy life better, be prepared for unexpected emergencies and have the resources to really live it up on occasion without setting yourself back substantially.
We seem to understand this concept with our money, why don’t we understand it with our time? The world is full of workaholics, funaholics, and lazy people who are living pay check to pay check with their time. What do I mean? We can be guilty of not budgeting, spending, or saving our time in a way to make our lives easier. The amazing thing is that if you work too much, play too much, or do nothing too much, you can end up with the same problems. As a pastor I have seen so many of my peers and fellow ministers who are ignorant of how much more difficult they make their lives because they don’t effectively manage their time. In most of the cases, they work too hard and don’t take enough time for themselves. They live in longing hope of a day off or a vacation twice a year, or the end of some big project. In essence they are waiting for payday to come and save them.
If we really manage our time properly, however, we won’t have to be exhausted just waiting for time off. Working hard is fine, it is even a good thing. If we are to accomplish great things, often it requires great sacrifice. But, the expectations for how we acheive that success will often drive our use of time. If each week we carve out regular time away from work, time with our families, time to recharge our batteries and take care of ourselves physically, time off will be a happy bonus, not a medical necessity. In essence we save some time each week, instead of spending it, and it allows us to better handle large expenses of time that arise later or better enjoy the long periods of rest we embark upon.
If you are so exhausted by the time your day off arrives that you can barely get out of bed or if you simply waste all of your time and have to cram to make deadlines, or if you need a vacation after your vacation just to function back in the real world, perhaps it is time for you to reevaluate your time management. Begin to store away time by spending time away from work, using found time to work ahead, and striving for personal and spiritual balance. After all isn’t that why God created balance into our time when he created the Sabbath? I think this is actually God’s idea first. Maybe we should check it out to see how this balance and rest thing affects us. Who knows, it may be fun.
November 11, 2006 at 3:09 am
I just got a book called Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller. I haven’t read it yet, but bought it because it was referenced in another book. It was noted that Muller points out that, “If we do not allow for a rhythm of rest in our overty busy lives, illness becomes our Sabbath–our pneumonnia, our cancer, our heart attack, our accidents create Sabbath for us.” Makes one think…
And no one says it better than Jesus himself, “The Sabbath was made for you, not you for the Sabbath.” We should take it! I’m going to lie down now. Peace, my friend.
November 13, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Excellent post. I love to talk about this because I, as I’m sure others as well, often fell pressure to work as much as possible. Like that will make me a better person, a real asset to the company.
But consider this. You would gain so much more respect if you could get what is required done during regular hours, on time and on budget. That starts with time management. It starts with planning ahead and sticking to a plan. Get a calendar and use it – get a Treo and use it!!! And not just at work but in every aspect of your life, it really makes things better.
-David
January 5, 2007 at 7:14 pm
I think pastors have an especially difficult time with time management. I think it’s easy for everyone’s expectations to become our job description instead of a real sense of God’s priorities. And if the pastor is bright and creative enough, he can be a web designer, graphic designer, podcast producer, newsletter writer, featured guest speaker, singer… and the list goes on and on.
I’ve really had to sit down and write out a job description (and roles and goals) for myself, and work hard on a calendar so I didn’t end up fizzling out in my family life, spiritual life, and professional life.
– Jay
P.S. And “Hurray!” for Sabbath – 24 whole hours of no work and focusing on God and family. I’m a big fan.