It feels like it happens every week, doesn't it? You start the week with great ambitions. This week will be twice as productive as the last, you tell yourself. Study blocks won't get cheated. Your sermon will be finished early. You will be prepared for this week's staff meeting. That special project will finally get your needed attention.
Then the week starts. And your well-laid plans fly off the desk, as if a strong wind just blew through the office. It did. These sudden, powerful, and schedule-destroying windstorms are called "interruptions."
This week will be more productive. Your sermon will be finished early. Then the week starts and your well-laid plans fly off the desk.
Someone shows up at the office with an emergency. And they must talk to you. Only you. Staff members keep knocking on the door for your input. An upcoming event is not ready and requires all hands on deck. Quarrelling leaders drag you into their conflict. A longtime member is hospitalized. A beloved member passes on. Some seemingly random but pressing need is dropped in your lap.
You have goals to reach. The schedule is set. But your dream of a balanced life and organized ministry never happens. You almost can't get out of bed without stumbling over the day's clutter.
How can you distinguish between unnecessary interruptions and divine appointments?
Pastors have important work to do every week. We also have urgent matters that arise unexpectedly that we need to address. The challenge is not all things are both important and urgent. It requires wisdom and practice to determine what is important or urgent—and what can be safely ignored.
But I believe there's something deeper we need to do, something both simple and profound. It is the key to being marked present when and where the Lord wants you. Do this, and you will have a compass to guide you through busy days, weeks, and months of pastoral work.
The key is to guard your daily devotional time.
We know a healthy quiet time is essential to communion with God and spiritual growth. And we press the importance of the spiritual disciplines on our congregation members. We readily tell our members they should spend time with God before they spend time with other people. But we don't always practice it. As a result, we often find ourselves overwhelmed by hurry, noise, crowds, deadlines, and interruptions. Nothing can lift this burden and simplify our lives like guarding and growing our time with God.
There are times when ministry is an unspeakable joy. Other times, not so much. Some days, I can't wait to get to work. Other days, I can't wait for my next vacation. I lay down some nights feeling like I have made a difference. Then there are sleepless nights, when I cannot stop my mind from downloading more work to do.
The interesting thing is that these conflicting moods rarely have anything to do with my schedule. It has everything to do with the attitude of my heart. You cannot guard your schedule if you do not guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23).
A quarterback is still working, even when the defense is on the field. He doesn't just chill out and rehydrate. He talks to the coaches in the press box. He reviews pictures of the previous set of downs. He receives instruction on how to attack the defensive schemes. The unnoticed "devotional" work on the sidelines enables the quarterback to perform better on the field. The same goes for pastors. Check in with the Coach in the press box before you lead the team on the field. Doing so will make all the difference when you're deciding which play to run.
H.B. Charles, Jr. is pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Church, Jacksonville, Florida.
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