Here' what a "normal" day looks like:
A dear friend gave me a coffee mug from the Garrison Keillor Lake Wobegon series with a picture of the Lake Wobegon church named "Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility." My friend knows me well.
Another friend warns against the "General Manager of the Universe" syndrome - she suffers from it, too.
Isn't great that we worship a God who desires to carry our burdens - who admonishes us to be still and know that God is capable of more than we can even begin to imagine? It's a day-by-day struggle for me - but with God's help, I think - think - think - I'm making progress.
- Wake up and
- exercise or
- feel guilty about not exercising
- Pray and
- feel guilty that I'm not being "productive or
- Be productive and
- feel guilty that I'm not praying
- Eat and
- run out the door leaving the dishes or
- feel guilty about taking the time to clean things up
- Get to the office and
- spend time on paperwork and phone calls and feel guilty about pastoral calls or
- make pastoral calls and feel guilty about the paperwork and phone calls
- Shoehorn in time for the family and
- feel guilty about work left undone or
- Work late and get most of it finished and
- feel guilty about time for the family.
A dear friend gave me a coffee mug from the Garrison Keillor Lake Wobegon series with a picture of the Lake Wobegon church named "Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility." My friend knows me well.
Another friend warns against the "General Manager of the Universe" syndrome - she suffers from it, too.
Isn't great that we worship a God who desires to carry our burdens - who admonishes us to be still and know that God is capable of more than we can even begin to imagine? It's a day-by-day struggle for me - but with God's help, I think - think - think - I'm making progress.
posted by Nina Reeder at 8:11 AM
5 Comments:
Wow- thanks for posting this! I spent three hours in my Head of Staff's office yesterday looking at my job description and trying to determine what I can stop doing. I'm working 35+ hours a week and only getting paid for 20. Everytime she said, "Let's have you stop doing _________," I would say, "No, I can't give THAT up!" I realize that I am sooo motivated by guilt. I feel so guilty when I say no.
I once heard Roger Nishioka, a professor at Columbia Theological Seminary,say "Workaholism is a negative responce to God's grace." I think the same can be said for being motivated by guilt. Workaholism and guilt go together so often, though, don't they?
How do you say "sorry, I'm off the clock" when someone calls with an emergency? It's a real killer for part-time ministers - because the emergencies always happen when the minister is off the clock. And isn't it the truth that the pastor's prayer time is never on the clock either:))
Did you have the same mom that I had?
Revabi - I knew you looked familiar. Blessings, my long-lost sister:))
Ooooh, you've been reading my mail!
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