I might be wrong but I am strongly against the notion that ministers should cram or allow their diaries to be crammed to the point that there is no space for preparation or prayer. I have just been to a worship review meeting, where the busyness of ministers was held up as a fact of life and a constant state of being.
Yes I know there are times when circumstances dictate that we are busy, and even overly busy, but to allow busyness to cram out time for preparation is surely not right. I am told of course that this is simply how things are and that the more responsibilities I take on the less time I will have....
I beg to differ and believe that the more I take on the more time I must take. I need to pray and to meditate on the Scriptures, I need space to reflect and to think, and the more I cram or allow my days to be crammed full of stuff the more problems I will cause for myself and the less effective I will be.
I know that when I am over busy the less likely I am to collaborate with others or delegate tasks, I will try to do everything myself and I end up drained and others end up frustrated. There may well be times when all service prep is done on a Saturday evening, but that should be the exception rather than the rule...
I feel that I am constantly being told just you wait, you'll soon really be doing this work, you've got it easy; but please I have not just emerged onto this planet or woken up suddenly to find myself here. I have lived for 48 years now and been through all kinds of things in life. I know myself well enough to know how I work best, and I need space so I will fight for it if I have to. And yes that might mean that some things go undone, but I have also learned that that is rarely a real disaster. So this morning because I needed space to think and to reflect I went out into the garden, mowed the lawn and did some weeding... and now I am in a much better place!
