Four hours with nothing to do. Of course, I need to print off some homework and should clean my room and wash dishes, but I had the fleeting thought this morning, "You've got time! How can you save the world this morning?" Seriously, I was ready to live my life for others while remembering that I'm not actually the one who can save. But then I realized, "Girl, you've still got a sore throat and ear ache and you really need to use this time to relax and heal." Some people teach that Christians should always put themselves last but Drew's recognized the terrible general health of clergy and is trying to teach us that we'll be ineffective if we're down and out. It's true-- how many more people did I need to care for me when I got sick in January compared to the number of people I helped? If I had been healthy, then I could have helped a lot more people. Thus, I'm going to use these next four hours for personal well-being. I'll do the dishes and maybe clean, but I'll also pamper my throat and appreciate this opportunity to avoid talking.
* Disclaimer: This isn't an argument for laziness or selfishness but rather a recognition that we are to "Love others as much as we love ourselves." We can't love others if we don't love ourselves.
2 comments:
Excellent point! Thanks!
Now that I'm actually clergy, I realize how difficult it is to practice self-care. There's always more sick and shut-in people to visit. There's always another meeting to prepare for or attend. There's always e-mails and letters to write and phone calls to return. And of course, there's always a Sunday morning service and sermon to prepare. It can easily lead to 50-60 hour work weeks, even if one is careful to only do what's necessary.
I'm glad Drew emphasizes self-care. Candler did as well (sometimes!). It's important if we want to reduce the frequency of clergy burn-out as well as increase physical and mental health of clergy (thus lowering the conference health care premiums!!!).
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