It's been quite a few months since I last posted, but believe me it was not by choice. There have been a few things that have taken priority over this blog, but today, I feel like I have a good handle on things to share something that I think is super important. There have been a number of extra things in addition to the "normal" responsibilities that I have. I won't bore you with a rehashing of my crazy schedule, but over the last seven months I have learned quite a few things about how to handle stress, and I thought I would share them with you.
The first thing that I've learned is the practice of making To-Do lists. Honestly, I hate them, but I've learned about their necessity. If I don't make them when my plate is full I find that I'll forget something. I've always been one who keeps everything in my head, and I don't frequently write things down. Even when required to do so in middle & high school, by about a month into a semester I would quit using the planner that they gave us. However in the last season of crazy amounts of things to do those lists have come in handy. It has allowed me to keep everything moving along the way it is supposed to. To-do lists. They're helpful. Use them.
Second, schedule a sabbath day. This is so important. As worship leaders the traditional sabbath, Sunday, is not a sabbath, but a work day. Yes, we get to be in worship with our church family and in fellowship with other believers, but let's be honest, you will always have something else on your brain during the worship set. I have found that if I make a sabbath a priority, spend time with my husband, take the dog for a walk, and just be still, my Sundays are so much better. We need that time to refill. It is so much more difficult to pour into and invest in others when we are running on fumes. Scheduling a sabbath is so important! God knew what he was doing when he created our world and universe in 6 days then rested on the 7th. We need that time. Don't neglect it because you will quickly burn out.
And that leads almost seamlessly into number three, be in the word. This is just as important as having a sabbath. Without being renewed and refreshed by God's word daily we won't have anything to give our volunteers, congregations, choirs, or family. We need to constantly be seeking after Jesus, and becoming more like him. In order to do that we need to know him. Growing is just as important for us, if not more so, than our congregation members. Being a leader is a high calling, and we carry a lot of responsibility leading others into the throne room of God. We must be in the word growing and learning in order to effective leaders and constantly pointing to our God.
Doing these 3 things has helped me tremendously over the last crazy months. Without each them I may have gone just a bit crazy. No, I am not perfect, and no, I did not do these things all the time, nor was I always joyful when doing them. BUT I am glad I have learned the discipline that comes with managing stress. I pray that in your uniquely crazy world you learn your own ways of managing stress to stay filled to the brim with God's presence and peace.
