Tip #42: Nourishment
October 21, 2007 – 7:53 pm
There are a million reasons why student ministers burn out, we could go on and on listing them. But at the very root of the phenomenon is chronic malnutrition - of the soul.
It creeps up on us. We are insanely busy, our lives filled with the urgent and important needs of our students and their families. Our schedule too easily fills - people, problems, programming and priorities overflow the pages. We are fooled into believing busy = productive, only to discover that we’ve pushed the center of our very being to some remote corner of the schedule, or off the page altogether.
Make sure you are getting regular, significant time with God. Plan a weekly time of prayer for your messages, planning, yourself and your family. Plan regular retreat time - a day each month or quarter, a week a year, just for your relationship with God. Pray over your calendar, adding appointments and engagements wisely, not cheating your preparation or prayer time and keeping your boundaries healthy. Make sure your devotional habits are in the right place in your heart and your schedule will keep the cinders of burnout at bay by keeping your relationship with Christ central in all you do.
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