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I’m a fan of the game of baseball. Baseball players, especially professionals, will tell you that baseball is a grind. It is a game played daily, with maybe one day off a week. As a fan, I enjoy it. I can sit and watch my favorite team almost daily (although I am too busy to do it…perhaps because I am in my own grind). The players, though, are the ones out on the field grinding out game after game.
Pastoring and leading is a grind—a daily battle. Sermons to prep, meetings to plan and lead, counseling sessions, and administrative decisions, and you would have only reached Tuesday of any given week. And yes, the spectators (congregants) can sit, watch, and enjoy the fruit of our hard labor while we grind.
There is joy in this grind, though—if we are careful enough to seek it and make room for it.
Here are three ways I found joy in my pastoring and leadership grind. I believe you who do any kind of leadership can find joy in your leadership too. I would love to hear how you find joy in your grind.
Grace: My spiritual story is one of radical transformation, from almost never stepping foot in a church until I was 16 to becoming a pastor for over 40 years, and now leading a ministry with so much happening and so many amazing stories in between. I’ve tasted grace and have not lost that taste. There is joy in the grind when we feast on the grace of God. Pastoring is a high and noble calling, and God still lets you do it. I say that in love and because it was certainly true for me. You are where you are because of the grace of Jesus in your life. Pull back from the hectic pace and soak in grace. God has been good, is good, and will be good to you. Let His grace set wind to your sail this week.
Pace: I could not do it all. My body and others told me so, loudly and clearly. I’m grateful I pushed aside my pride and realized they were both right. I grew comfortable with how God wired me and chose not to compare myself to other pastors and leaders (at least, not too much). I am who I am, and God, who is all-wise, put me where I could flourish just as I am, not someone else. Let me encourage you to find a pace that is sustainable for you. This is where you will find joy in the grind when you rest in the God who knows you and your limitations and has placed you right where He wants you.
Space: While pace is a big-picture focus, space is about the little moments that come week in and week out. I learned to purposely leave room in my weekly schedule to just give God space in my “grind.” An empty space on my calendar that was guilt-free. Those of us on staff at Make It Clear Ministries call this “going dark.” It means shutting off our technology devices. For me, I would use this time to read something enjoyable or what would recharge me, sit in my favorite spot and spend time with Jesus, or enjoy a fun time with my family. The point was not to pack my calendar so full there was no room for me to just enjoy God in the “ordinary” of life.
Guard your week. The grind will always be there, but you don’t always have to grind.
