"Strike that, reverse it.”

I adore that quote in the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: 

"So much time, and so little to do.

Strike that, reverse it." 

I often struggle (sometimes "win" & sometimes "lose") when trying to "juggle" (also a favorite word of mine) schedules, my to-do list, my desires, my "shoulds", my need for friends & hobbies, my motivation and love for my job.

From time to time (like... last week!) someone asks me how I deal with a lifestyle & job that is 'professional' and has no set 'work hours.' How do I know when to "call it a day" (we say in German "Feierabend")? When do you take off, when you don't have to punch a clock, so to speak? Or have a manager poke his head in the door to say, "See ya in the morning!" I work from home, in Cafe's, wherever my laptop goes, late nights in the city, over coffee or Diet Cokes. Here are some tips that I can dish out (and hopefully hold to myself...):

1) favorite verse to answer this question: 

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 4:10-11)

2) my perspective on this verse: 

Just imagine that a person sharing the Word is preparing a Bible study or a message. The day arrives but he or she comes to the group and says, "You know, God did not really speak to me this week. I don't have anything to say from Him. However, I read an interesting magazine article that I thought I could give some bullet points from. And I have a cute story to tell you about what my kids did on Saturday at a birthday party..." What would we say? I think we'd say: "You should step out of the way and let someone talk who HAS gotten a word from God."

BUT, what do we do when someone comes on Sunday to worship, and says, "Whew, I'm tired and have a cold! You know what, I've worked about 65 hours this week, plus led 2 small groups in the evenings, and now I'm ready to be a greeter this morning for the 11:00 a.m. service." What would we say? There is a strong likelihood we might think, "Man, is he/she ever a dedicated and faithful worker!" According to these verses, running out of physical & emotional strength is similar to trying to teach God's Word, when you have nothing to say.

3) check your levels:

We need to gauge our emotional and spiritual levels -- our "tanks" filled up (or not). Based on the above, one indicator of whether my margins are workable, or whether I'm violating this verse is whether I'm exhausted and un- motivated. Am I dreading meeting with people or avoiding preparing my next event, or am I looking forward to it--  salivating to hang out with those I care about? Am I counting the days toward my day off? One way I can tell when I'm overloaded is by certain signs: e.g., irritability towards others... or my mind wandering while I'm with people, planning what DVD I will watch later that night when I can "take off". (to be continued)