Finding Balance by Pastor Mike Williams
This week I have a special guest writer, Pastor Mike Williams. Mike is the children’s pastor at Shepherd Church where he oversees 1,200 to 1,400 children a weekend. Could you imagine? To truly appreciate what he does, one would have to see him in action. Mike is an amazing pastor, but more than that, he is a godly man of integrity, honesty, character, with a heart that loves people all out. Not only is he an amazing pastor, he’s an even better husband, I should know… I’m his wife.
I know you’ll enjoy this week’s post.
Finding Balance by Pastor Mike Williams
I feel so tired all I can do is to think of putting my head down on a cool pillow and just closing my eyes. The problem is, it’s only noon, and I have the rest of the day to go. I start to run scenarios through my head of how I am going to get back to being awake. I could go buy a soda. Maybe that would wake me up? Oh yeah, I don’t drink soda anymore. Maybe if I got a Monster Drink that would wake me up? Or give me a heart attack, yeah, not good.
If I stopped watching old westerns late into the night, or stopped working after my family went to bed, I probably would be less tired. I could eat better, and cut out the desserts… nah. Maybe this week I could actually relax on my day off? I could take a walk after I get home from work to decompress, and then go to bed early… and read. Pass.
Finding balance, when you are a high-energy, task-oriented person can be challenging.
The question I have to wrestle with is, “What am I saying to my family when they only get the left overs?” My wife suffers, and my kids suffer.
I suffer.
That was me, a year ago. I wasn’t at my best, because I was out of balance.
Struggling to find balance I sought the Lord. “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1).
Being out of balance I couldn’t fully follow this command. I needed to tackle this three fold, body, mind, and spirit.
Body – I needed to get into shape. I had a shape, and that was round. I committed to a workout program and stuck with it. I dropped thirty pounds. The stairs became a lot easier.
Mind – I needed to schedule downtime and time for my family. I got date nights on the calendar with my wife. I decided I needed to leave work at work. I became strategic about bringing my best home, and leaving ministry challenges at work. I’ve even turned my phone off from time to time…yes, it’s hard, but I do it. When I realized my emotional health was just as important as my physical health, getting my margin time in became critical.
Spirit – I needed to continue to be faithful in seeking God. As a pastor, studying for messages and personal study can become blurred. “In the morning, O LORD, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch” (Psalm 5:3). I purposefully separated study time from my personal time with God. It is through God that I get all of my strength to do the work He has for me. When I rely on God, He always gives me all I need.
When we balance our physical, emotional, and spiritual life…
we feel better…
we see more…
we experience more…
and life gets exceedingly better.
