Keeping Your Sabbath Holy...

I enjoy what God allows me to get paid to do. I believe youth ministry is one of the best professions out there. What other job pays you to go skiing, spend the day at amusement parks, lead students to God and watch how God transforms their lives. I went to a place called Jaeger's to play paintball one weekend with students and started talking with one of their employees about his getting paid to work at a paintball field, I told him that I actually got paid to shoot my own students with a paintball, he became jealous. Life in youth ministry isn't all wine and roses, but there are some trying times.  I have been yelled at by parents, criticized by pastors and had students leave my ministry because they didn't like what I was talking about.

The bad part about loving your job is that you don't always see when you are spending to much time doing it.  In a book by Doug Fields (I think), I remember reading a story from a youth pastor wife who ended up leaving her husband because he thought ministry was more important than family. Since going full time just 18 short months ago, this has been a hard lesson to learn. My wife has gotten in the habit of telling me when I spending to much time in ministry. There was a time a few months back where I was out of the house at night for 3 weeks straight. Boy did I hear about it.  Since then I have learned to love my day off. Each Monday I relax and rest myself from the week before and clear my head for the upcoming week.

Here are a few things I do to relax from ministry. This isn't anything amazing or groundbreaking, but sometimes it is the smallest nudges that move us along

1. Sleep in - This is something I only get to do on my day off.  I think sleeping in helps me just to relax and get some needed shut eye.
   
2. Spend the day with family - On my day off, I usually keep my 3 year old home from PDO and we spend the day together.  We like to watch Disney channel, walk to McDonalds or the park or just hang out.  During the summer my wife is off on Mondays, so we spend it together running errands or going on adventures.
   
3. Find a hobby and do it - Having a hobby helps you to keep your mind off of youth ministry for a while.  This can be anything really, just something that keeps you busy.
   
4. Eat lunch with a friend not connected to ministry - Take some time to be with someone where you won't talk about ministry.  I know this is incredibly hard for those of us who love our job, but sometimes we need to do it.
   
5. Talk a walk and let God refill you - Spending time with God on our day off is the biggest refiller we can get.  I know for my normal week I am so rush sometimes to study for lesson or small groups that I don't take the time to spend it with God.  Use your day off to quiet your mind and allow God to lead you places.

Like I said, none of this is groundbreaking thinking. My best advice to you is to slow down at least one day a week. For pastors, our Sabbath is not on Sunday but sometimes Monday, Friday or some other day of the week. Use that day to let God revitalize you so that you are easy and able to talking the busy week ahead.