Camels, camps and candle-lit cats

I haven't found the time to blog for a while.  It's been a strange few weeks involving riding an imaginary camel, delivering several hundred cards from God and a close encounter with Thomas Chalmers's umbrella.  Oh, and the cat set herself on fire.

August is always a hectic month - holiday clubs, National Youth Assembly, Council meetings, youth residential weekends, schools starting back, enrolment of clubs and organisations plus all the usual day-to-day workload.  It's hardly surprising that I haven't managed to take a day off for a while.

In chatting to fellow youth workers, many seem to be in the same boat.  We all agree that August is just one of those months where it's hard to find any time for ourselves.  Just one of those months...

In a staff worship session at NYA, we were challenged to face up to "the lies we tell ourselves", and I suspect for many youth and children's workers, the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that it's "just one of those months".  If we're being honest, every month is "one of those months".  Those involved in ministry - and in particular ministry with young people - are terrible at taking time off.

We pretend to ourselves that busyness is good.  We convince ourselves that if we're busy we must be doing a good job.  When we're not busy, we feel guilty.  These are the lies we tell ourselves.

A while ago a Methodist colleague and myself were going through another busy time that was "just one of those months" and wondered whether Horatius Bonar's hymn should be re-written:

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Come unto me and rest:

lay down your weary head on me

unless you're C of S."

I came to Jesus as I was

so weary and worn and sad.

He said, "Think of the Methodists -

they're nearly just as bad."

 

Maybe it's time for some honesty.  Maybe it's time to recognise the burnout rate amongst youth workers.  Maybe it's time to realise that if we are to minister well to others, we need also to care for ourselves.  Maybe it's time to take Mike Yaconelli's advice and "give God 60%".  Maybe it's time to hear and take seriously the invitation "Come unto me and rest."