Stress/Rest

Last week was a week of stress. This week is a week of rest. Aside from a few life-giving lunch meetings this week, I've completely kept my schedule clear. I've found that I have to be extremely careful how I balance stress and rest in my own ministry. I need sprints to keep life exciting, but I also need some downhill coasts to let me catch my wind.

The balance of stress and rest is important in my personal life, but I find it's also important in the life of whole ministries. As a leader, I work hard to maintain a delicate balance of stress and rest in the ministries I lead, and in the lives of the leaders I lead. It's my responsibility to give them time to rest, and times of stress - both those times stretch them and refresh them.

If you don't provide times of stress in ministry, the ministry will feel dry and lifeless. But if you don't provide times of rest in ministry, there won't be any time for people to connect and refresh. You've got to provide both stress and rest, and balance them carefully.

I'm resting this week, and can't wait. By Friday I'll be ready to stress again. That's the way it's supposed to work.