Doing It All

In my perfect world of high expectations, here is the list of things I would like to accomplish in any given day:

Quality time with God - reading Scripture, prayer and reflection

Quality time with Clark and Jacob

Exercise

Eight hours of focused work (as in, the job I get paid for)

30 minutes to an hour of reading

Housework and errands

Cooking good meals for my family

Volunteering (sidebar: this one gets confusing sometimes b/c I'm very cognizant of the fact that I'm always asking people with full-time jobs to engage in ministry and service beyond their jobs; I can only ask that of others if I'm also asking that of myself. Being a pastor is not an 8-hr a day job and so it's easy to lump it all together. For what it's worth, I still wrestle with what I am doing as "Pastor Jenn" and what I'm doing as "Jenn" - not sure if there a difference, but now you've spent a few confusing moments in my brain)

Some time to chill - tv, staring into space, etc.

A few phone calls to catch up w/ friends and family

Now, here's the thing - try as I may, I can' fit all of those things into every day of my life. And while I can admit and acknowledge that in writing, it doesn't keep me from feeling like a failure on all the days I don't even come close to doing half of the things on the list.

So, where's the balance? How do we set priorities and do the things we feel are important to do without always feeling the strain to do more and the guilt of trying to do so much that we don't do anything well?

This is an area where I am seeking wisdom everyday, but here are a few thoughts along the way:

1. Pray and decide which things are absolutes, i.e. cannot and will not be sacrificed in any given day. For me, the non-disputables are time with God and time with Clark and Jacob. I'm not perfect in this regard, but I know, know, know that this is how it should be and it's what I'm striving for.

2. Pray and decide which things need to be absolutes on ___ number of days in the week. For example, I'm making exercise a non-disputable 4 days a week. If I get to exercise any more, it's a bonus. Any less, and I'm not doing what I should to care for my health.

3. Rest has to be a priority, in whatever form that comes for you. As my OT professor says, "You can't work for God until You rest with God."

Bottom line, it never fails that when I prioritize my time with God that the rest seems to take care of itself. Today, ask God to help you set priorities and live with faith that God will set you up to do whatever it is He wants you to do today.