Last week I proposed we all re-think the way we think of the times when we are “at work” and take a more integrated view of professional life and personal life.  I think the term “work-life balance” implies that work is different than life.  For most of us, a work day is made up of hundreds or perhaps thousands of human interactions.  Real life happens at work every day!  However, even with an integrated view of life that acknowledges real life and real ministry happens at work, we still need to prioritize how we spend our time and energies so we are good stewards of the most precious commodity God gives us – time.

As I said last week, I don’t believe the answer is found in a formula – I believe the answer is found in a life.  The life of Jesus provides a good model for us to examine in seeking balance and it’s comforting to me to know that he struggled at times to achieve balance!

First, I need to perform a “heart check” on myself and determine what I am seeking to accomplish with my life.  If my primary objective is to arrange my schedule to benefit myself, I will never achieve balance.  The unhappiest people I know have enshrined themselves at the center of their own existence and seek to orient everything including their schedules around their self-interests.  These people are never satisfied with the amount and quality of “me-time” and seem to constantly feel disadvantaged by the demands of their calendars.  Jesus said he “came not to be served, but to serve” and his calendar reflected his “others-first” orientation.  In contrast to the “me-first” people mentioned above, my experience is that “others-first” people are the most content and happy folks I know and they seem to consistently feel that life is in balance. 

Ironically, these “others-first” folks also seem from the outside to have the most insane schedules.  Their calendars are full of business engagements, ministry work and social time with friends.  They manage to be involved in the lives of their children and grandchildren where they seem to always be at all the important kid events and they still make quality time for their spouse.  They are at multiple places at once and always with a smile on their face seemingly unstressed by the pace of their life.  The only insight I have into how these folks pull it off comes from my own hit-or-miss experience trying to be an “others-first” person.  The rewards of serving others and the motivation I receive from wanting to “be there” for the people in my life seems to empower me to solve most of my work-life balance problems one day at a time.  The busier I am serving others, the more content and balanced I feel.  The times when I slip back into “me-first” mode are the times I start to become unhappy and bitter about the demands of my schedule.  I aspire to be more of an “others-first” man.

Warning – I also have to recognize that there are times when I need to take care of myself.  Note that I am critical of making my primary objective self-service.  There are times when I simply have to get away for some “me-time.”  Once again Jesus provides an example for me to follow.  There are numerous times recorded in the Gospels where Jesus feels the need to escape from the demands of ministry and even the company of his closest friends and get some “me-time.”  Most often his “me-time” was spend recharging his batteries in prayer and meditation such as in Mark 1:29-37:

 And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.  In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.  Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

Sometimes even when everyone is looking for you to be there for them, you need to take some time to recharge your batteries.  Many of you already know my recharge time comes in the seat of a tractor.  It’s amazing what a couple of hours mowing grass in the pasture or moving a pile of dirt with the front-end loader will do to put things in perspective for me.  Perhaps the relatively low brain cycles required by most tractor work allow me to think through difficult problems, meditate on my place in the world or have long conversations with God.  I know this time connects me with my summers working “on the farm” and to my relationship with my grandfather which helps to center me.  Perhaps it’s just my “happy-place” and that’s OK.  Jesus doesn’t ask me to eliminate myself from consideration, he just asks me to place my self-interests in the back of the queue.

Finally, I need to remember that Jesus placed a very high priority on having a good time with friends, family and even new acquaintances.  In fact, Jesus placed such an emphasis on having a good time as worked on “serious ministry” that he drew criticism from the religious leaders of the time.  Luke records this confrontation with these religious leaders in Luke 7:31-34:

To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

   ’We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
   we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

Seems to me that Jesus was not offended in the least to be accused of enjoying time getting to know some searching sinners.  Those seekers found out that Jesus came to deliver on the promise of a full and rich life.

In the way of application, I’ll leave you with the real-world example of one of my best friends.  Jim is a consummate “others-first” shepherd who is the most likely one of us to be visiting a sick church member, leading an early morning prayer group, organizing a fellowship lunch, encouraging someone who is down or countless other acts of service.  Jim’s life is full of ministry to others.  Jim also loves to play golf.  I believe the golf course is Jim’s equivalent of my pasture and I believe Jim gets centered from his time on the course.  I also know he gets the biggest kick from playing with friends, family or even new acquaintances.  I have talked many people who have played golf with him and everyone always comments on the fun they have while on the course with him.  I don’t recall ever hearing who comes out ahead on the scorecard, but I know who wins every time – everyone else in the group.  Can you be serious about ministry and still have fun doing it with a grin on your face?  Jesus did and so does Jim.

WWJD about work-life balance?  Put others first!  This week, I’m going to try to achieve some balance in my life by putting others first on my professional and personal calendars because that’s WJWD!

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

Work-Life Balance? (Part 1)	My Friend Mulligan	Winding Roads

One of the implications of the industrial revolution of the 18^th and 19^th centuries was the compartmentalization of life into “work” and “personal” categories.  Prior to this time, a person’s work or trade was an integral part of their life.  One could hardly separate “Mike the blacksmith” from “Mike the regular guy” as Mike interacted with other members of his society.  The industrial revolution tended to view workers as just additional resources in the manufacturing process that needed to be allocated and managed.  The natural result was the dehumanization of human professional effort as people began to feel more and more like cogs in the middle of giant impersonal manufacturing machines.  Although there were successful efforts during the 20^th century to correct the abuses of the industrial revolution that created sweat shops, unfair wages and the equivalent of indentured servitude, we still suffer from the hang-over of that time period.  I believe one of the most persistent elements of that hang-over is the compartmentalization of life.

Today our economy has shifted to more of a service model and most of us have seen the lines between work and personal life blurred by technology and mobility.  I may spend 30-40 hours per week in meetings, working sessions and conference calls from our corporate headquarters in Plano, but there are countless other hours devoted to “work” as I travel for business development purposes, visit other company facilities and just respond to the challenges and opportunities of my company’s “Always On” culture.  This blurring of the lines certainly creates challenges as we struggle to prioritize and reprioritize the way we spend each waking hour of the day.  Back in the day, professionals and blue-collar workers alike could allocate Monday through Friday from the hours of eight to five to work and the remainder of the week was available for personal time.  Now with the flexibility many of us enjoy with flex-time schedules and work-at-home plans, we may be attending a school band performance on Wednesday at 10:00a and working on a sales presentation on Saturday afternoon.  Work, family, ministry, recreation and reflection all merge and compete for our time with only a few fixed guidelines to help us achieve balance.  If I rely on the old methods of compartmentalization, I run the risk of the work component swallowing up all my time and attention and the result is a life out-of-balance.  The answer is not to be found in a carefully managed day-planner or Outlook calendar although these tools are helpful for maintaining sanity.  I believe finding a place where life feels “in balance” requires a different approach and a different outlook than the traditional segmented view that has persisted in the Western model for the last 150 years.  I don’t believe the answer is found in a formula – I believe the answer is found in a life.  I believe the life of Jesus provides a good model for us to examine in seeking balance.  It is comforting to me to know that he struggled at times to achieve balance!

First, I think we need to re-examine the way we view the time we are “at work.”  Even the term “work-life balance” implies that work is different and separate from life.  I think we need to consider returning to a more integrated view of professional life and personal life.  Consider that for most of us, a work day is made up of hundreds or perhaps thousands of human interactions.  The more service-oriented our economy becomes, the more interactions we can expect.  Real life happens at work every day!

For a moment let me brag on my friend, Jason.  Jason works in an intensely service-oriented business where hundreds of folks per week come to Jason to have their cars repaired.  Many times, these car repairs are unanticipated and unwanted and these people are unhappy to be seeing him.  Because Jason has an integrated view of life and work, he takes every opportunity for interaction to minister to hurting people.  He provides a quick and effective diagnosis, complete transparency and honesty in an industry not known for either, impeccable customer service and a personal touch that provides comfort and peace.  The more emotional the situation, the more Jason is sensitive and compassionate.  A frazzled mom with a broken van and three kids in tow can expect her interaction with Jason to result in smiling kids, a van quickly back on the road and he’ll even hold the baby and strap the kids in the car seat when they all leave.  If life really seems to be spinning out of control, he will also offer to pray for a person in pain and he’ll absolutely point them to a church family that is ready to minister to all their needs.  Jason treats each of his customers like we all wish our health care providers would treat us – with personalized care and compassion! 

I believe Jesus would recognize Jason’s model because it is the same way Jesus “took care of business.”  For Jesus, every interaction was filled with care and compassion and no opportunity for ministry was missed.  Each of us also has opportunity for ministry with every human interaction at work.  In my experience, words of encouragement, compassion, understanding and care work with employees, supervisors, customers, partners and vendors in any work setting.  You don’t need permission to perform works of service in the workplace and in this way integrate your ministry life with your professional life. 

Perhaps a more integrated view of life and work will help you feel more balanced without making other adjustments.  However, many of us are still challenged as we deal with the prioritization of work and the other elements of a healthy life.  Jesus certainly recognized the need for balance in life and he adjusted his schedule on-the-fly to achieve balance for himself and his associates.  Next week, I will spend some time reflecting on how Jesus pulled off life balance amidst a hectic and unpredictable ministry schedule.  Do you think Jesus had time for fun and recreation?  You might be surprised to find out the answer and how people responded to a rabbi that challenged the conventions of his time.  Maybe it’s time for us to challenge some conventions! 

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

My Friend Mulligan	Winding Roads	Story-Telling

Last week, I left you with this thought:

I think Jesus knew his expectations for us constituted a high bar.  However, as always he has our best interest in mind.  Jesus knows this expectation of living sacrifice is actually the key to joy and peace in this life.  He also knows compartmentalization, lies and deception are the tools of Satan who does not care about our best interests.  Remember Jesus’ promise to us from John 10:10:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Over the past week, have you thought about how you can be a living sacrifice 24/7/365 and have abundant life in the process?  I think the key is in the second verse of the passage in Romans 12:1-2.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

When I first started struggling with the idea of being the same person in all areas of my life, I thought the key to success was getting control of my behavior and thoughts.  I thought, “If I can be a good person on Sundays, I should be able to be a good person during the week.”  The problem was I couldn’t manage to be that consistently good person even on each Sunday much less during every other day of the week.  It wasn’t until I realized that there were two external forces that were vying for my life that I discovered the key to being a living sacrifice.  The key is seeking transformation rather than conformation.  Either way, the key comes from outside my being!

By default I was being conformed to this world by the pressures that come from temptation working on my human nature.  I thought I could resist conformation to the world through will power but I found that was futile.  Even one slip led to guilt and defeat.  Then I realized that the opposite of conformation is not resistance but is instead transformation.  The world tries to conform but the Spirit will transform.  II Corinthians 3:17-18 reads:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Transformation does not come from exercise of will power and perfection of behavior.  That path was proven to be futile for generations of Israelites who tried and failed to keep the Law.  Transformation comes from turning my life over to the Lord and his Spirit who will renew my mind and open my understanding to the being of God, his principles that form the foundation of my life and the precepts that guide my behavior.  Only a transformed mind can test each decision against the understanding gained through the Word guided by the indwelling Spirit to discern the will of God.  That discernment will lead to the kind of complete and acceptable life that Jesus had in mind for each of us!  He came that you may have life and have it abundantly.  Allow yourself to be transformed by his Spirit and you can have abundant life in every scene, setting and second.  It’s a promise!

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!