Best practices

This year we moved to a new church and I'm trying to institute some new practices for better sanity & fruitfulness at home and in the office. I'll share them for whatever thry might be worth.

#1 keeping sabbath (this is actually a carry-over I've been doing for 12 years. My study of Scripture has taught me the Sabbath is meant to be life-giving and restorative.  So my prohibition of activity normally includes things I "have" to do (aside from the mom things like changing diapers and getting food). It's most often a family day.  We try to think "What would restore us?" "What would feel life giving?"

(The new stuff)

#2 making meals on Saturday to have ready food for lunch on Sunday.  I hate dealing with lunch on Sunday.  I'm tired. The kids are normally cranky. And even "putting something in the oven" seems to take far too long. So having cooked food ready to reheat has been great. 

#3 Late start Monday: this is a chance to find a little order and peace before jumping into the week of work.  It might be extended coffee on the porch,  or cleaning the bathrooms,  vacuuming, or laundry. A few of the chores i refuse to do on sabbath that make home a little better to come home to. 

#4 Work from home Wednesday: frankly, I don't enjoy sitting at a desk or working in an office,  but it's part of the job.  But sometime's it's nice to stay in my pj's and sit on the couch and do some sermon writing,  or read for a class, or leadership dev., or whatever.

I love what I do.  I get great joy from pastoring. I also get great joy from being a mom.  Sometimes there's a pretty decent tension between the two.  So much of this is an attempt to find a better balance for it all.

A little perspective

I'm a working mom.  And admittedly, I am a working mom with incredible privilege.  Being a parent in general requires a lot of juggling of schedules, of activities, of priorities. Any parent can tell you it doesn't just happen simply.  

If you're single, enjoy your singleness. Enjoy your freedom to do what you want when you want, to stay up late, or sleep in, or spend the day snuggled on the couch watching movies or Law & Order reruns.  Enjoy it. Married life is great, and so are kids, but it's not like being single.  I do not resent my husband or my child. I regret not appreciating the luxuries I had as a single person.  And now I'm learning to live differently.

Anyway, back to being a working mom.  I struggle with night meetings and some of the demands of ministry. Demands that take me away from meals, or require extra long days, but those are a simple price to pay for the flexibility I have as a pastor.  That's the privileged part.  I have the luxury of choosing to work from home or the office and even of taking my daughter to work.  That's a tremendous privilege.  A luxury even.  I know there are tons of moms (and dads) who would kill for that kind of opportunity, who would love to have intermittent time throughout the day with their child(ren) instead of being gone from 9-5 or 7-7 or 6-4 and then again from 7-11 or whatever hours they may have to work.

Well shoot, after writing all of that, I hardly have a place for a valid complaint. Maybe I just needed a little perspective.  Maybe I needed to remind myself of all that is worth relishing in these times rather than lamenting that which is frustrating or tiresome.  I knew blogging was good for something!  Perspective and self-reflection.  

Thank you blog-o-sphere for helping me realize the blessing of my busyness.  Today I will relish it. Tomorrow I may get worn down all over again. But today, I will be grateful.