The Time Crunch

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I am resisting the lie that more work will make me a better person.
— Greg Asimakoupoulos

The other day my 8 year old expressed her displeasure over the number of times church commitments pirate me away from participating in her bedtime ritual:

"It's not fair, Daddy," Kristin protested. "Can't you call the church and tell them you're busy? Please stay home with us. Let's make popcorn!"

"Tomorrow night, sweetheart," I thought aloud. "I promise. We'll have popcorn and root beer floats tomorrow. I don't think I'm busy after dinner."

Her complaint caught me by surprise. I had only recently curtailed my evening appointments to three a week. As I tried to explain the price tag of being a productive pastor, her big brown eyes puddled with tears.

"But Daddy, you're always busy!"

Ouch! That hurt. Kristin's response found an unprotected gap in my priestly armor. But her comment provided me an overdue check on reality.

Was I always busy? And if I was, why?

My daughter's appraisal, I quickly discovered, was correct. When I wasn't preparing to preach, preaching, or spending time with those I preach to, I was preoccupied with ways I could do all three better.

My preoccupation with activity began early on in my ministry. A bachelor pastor for four years, I crowded my life with job commitments, which also doubled to meet my social and emotional needs. My identity was defined by staying busy.

Once I married, though, I thought my eighty-hour-a-week schedule would change. After all, I had an attractive reason to retreat from my study at the end of the afternoon. But it wasn't as easy as I thought.

Even today, when my day off rolls around, my body never seems to notify my mind that sleeping in, riding a bike, catching a movie, or crashing on the couch ...

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