Labor Day is that last moment of rest before hitting the grind of the fall. It’s a day where my family grills great food, hangs out and just enjoys the time away from work. In a way it’s a Sabbath, which at times are hard to observe. I know there have been seasons in my life where I haven’t paused and it’s worn me out.
Youth ministry is a marathon and you need to find a sustainable pace. And while it’s important to move forward it’s important to find those moments of rest so that you can endure for the long haul. The problem is discovering those moments and taking advantage of them. To find rest you need to:
- Guard Your Time: That means discovering boundaries, scheduling in margin and learning when to say no. By guarding your time you are preventing people, and projects from wearing you thin. Make your time a priority (To learn more about guarding your time click here).
- Take On A Hobby: Rest doesn’t just come from sleep, it also comes from the things you enjoy. Maybe you find that joy in cooking, hiking or underwater basket weaving. Find something that fills you, make time and invest in it.
- Find A Support System: It’s easy to feel drained because of how much you pour into others. Make sure you find people who pour into you. Give people permission to give you wisdom, to ask, “How you are doing?” and to hold you accountable in life. Youth ministry (Any ministry) is not meant to be done alone.
- Celebrate A Sabbath: This is hard because many of us work on the weekends. If your Sabbath cannot be Sunday find a day during the week where you can connect with God. It might start with a few hours; however, challenge yourself to just give a whole day of rest over to Him. Allow God to restore you after a brutal week of ministry.
Find rest and you’ll find the strength to take on the day to day obligations of youth ministry. Find rest and you’ll be open to learning and growing. Find rest and you’ll be able to lead through the ups and downs of your youth ministry journey.
Where do you find rest?