Right now, many of us are in the peak of summer. VBS has happened, you have gone to camp, and you have a mission trip lined up in the next few weeks. Maybe this isn’t the order of things for you, but your summer is no doubt wild. On top of trips, you have fun events to plan, weekly lessons to prepare and teach, and Promotion Sunday looming. Then there is next year’s calendar that needs planning and posting. This schedule creates a weariness for you as the leader. And while all these events are fantastic, all of them take you away from your family and if you are honest, they can be exhausting.
What is a leader supposed to do? It’s not like you can cancel anything, after all you are the one who made the schedule. Psalm 37:3 tells us to “Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” Many of us leaders are quite successful at doing good but are maybe not as good at befriending faithfulness. Here are a few tips for when you are tired this summer.
- Don’t stop walking with God and trust God to get the work done. Psalm 37:4 says, “delight in the Lord.” Are you still spending time with the Lord even on the mission trip, at camp, and throughout all the other activities? Trust God enough with your schedule to spend time with Him and keep being faithful.
- Find God at work in everything. While you are dwelling in the land seek to see the Lord at work. Don’t miss Him working all around because you are so busy doing the work of ministry. Don’t be so much about the task at hand that you wouldn’t recognize the works of God if they smacked you in the face.
- Rest! It is ok to take some time to recover. Even if you are not able to go on a long trip or vacation take some days and do a staycation. Don’t answer your emails. Don’t manage the social media accounts. Unplug and unwind to recharge your battery for the fall. Part of trusting the Lord is trusting that He will give you strength to get your tasks done in a timely manner. Being well rested will help this happen for you.
Don’t let the weariness of ministry get to you. God has great things in store for you. Keep trusting Him, dwell where He has planted you, and keep befriending faithfulness. God has got you and will sustain you! Email me at jmeadows@alsbom.org if you need anything at all.
