Running A Little Too Hard
Battling Exhaustion In Ministry
Believe it or not, Hilde Dosogne ran a marathon every day in 2024! Yes, you read that correctly. The 55-year-old ran 366 marathons (it was a leap year). In addition, she worked part-time while caring for her family of five!
I'm tired just thinking about such a feat.
Can you imagine?
I'm afraid many pastors are like Hilde. No, they're not running 26.2 miles each day, but their pace of life is just as taxing.
I'm convinced that many pastors are simply doing too much.
While there are exceptions, and some pastors are lazy, I think many pastors are overworked, overwhelmed, and overly tired. They take on more than they should and live exhausted lives.
While being tired is not wrong, it's good to be "good and tired" from some old-fashioned hard work. But that's not what I'm warning about. I'm talking about constant exhaustion, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual tiredness, compassion fatigue, decision fatigue, and people fatigue.
This kind of tiredness can lead to burnout, moral failure, and serious health problems.
So what do you do when you reach the point of being really tired?
I think you already know the answer - REST!
But that is just the beginning. We could say so much more about this, but I'll keep it short since you're already tired.
Be Realistic With Your Schedule & Task List
Why do we overload our days and to-do lists? We know we will never be able to accomplish everything, but we keep making giant lists repeatedly. Be selective and realistic about the amount of time you have each day. Limit your to-do list to the 3 Big Items that will move the needle for you. Prioritize the three and tackle them one by one. If you have many appointments or meetings, you may have to choose the 1 Big Item and leave it at that.
Build Margin Into Your Life
Have you noticed that a lot of things take longer than you expected? Begin building some margin into your schedule. Add a buffer when you're blocking time for a project or task. Do the same with your meetings. This is especially important to pastors because no one ever schedules their emergency visits to the hospital or accidents. That pastoral visit was not on our calendar! But if we've built margin into our calendar, it doesn't have to upset our entire week.
Remember That You're Not The Messiah
Say it out loud with me, "I am not the Savior."
There, it's settled! So why do we live like we are the Messiah? We think that we have to swoop in and rescue everything and everybody. We believe if we don't do it, then everything will be lost.
This world was spinning when we arrived, and it will go on spinning once we're dead.
The church where I pastor existed for 147 years before I arrived, and will continue after I am gone. That is a humbling but helpful reminder.
Take time to breathe.
Take time to rest, recharge, and relax.
Work Hard, Rest Well, & Trust Jesus.
It's true—life is a marathon! But don't try to run it all in one day.
Would personal coaching help you regain margin in your life? I’d love to discuss this with you. Contact me, and let’s schedule a free call. www.productivitycoaching.life