Working Toward Health
How do we get there?
1. Make the Sandwich You Like
There are times when our schedule is really nailed down and we can’t change the circumstances around us, but more often than not, we really can. You can change your daily rhythms to reflect the health you hope for. The greatest change you can make is to be laser-focused on spiritual freshness.
In Problems of Christian Leadership, John Stott reminds us out of his experience that “discipline is often at the root of staleness.” He goes on to remind us we need the spiritual discipline to rest, cultivate hobbies, and spend time with our family and friends. Those are parts of our schedule that are often neglected.
We also need to make prayer and Bible reading a major function of our daily discipline. Spiritual health is not birthed out of business for God but by creating space in the soul to hear from God and talk to God. Health comes from making healthy sandwiches.
2. Eat the Sandwich You Made
If you made a bad sandwich—in other words, if you didn’t schedule time for prayer and Bible reflection, time in the woods, dates with your wife, meeting with your elder team, etc.—do not blame the world around you. Own it! Own up to the reality that you made an unhealthy sandwich, and commit to making a new one.
3. Share the Sandwich With Others
Finally, share. Are you sharing a bad sandwich or a healthy one? Are you sharing tiredness, exhaustion, anger, or are you sharing care, compassion, joy? A wise friend of mine regularly shares that the greatest thing we bring to our people is our transformed and transforming presence. In other words, when you eat unhealthy, bad sandwiches, that’s what you share with your church.
It really is hard to be a pastor. There are a lot of dynamics at play, and my hope is that I would be the first to heed my own advice. That I would make a good sandwich that is not only good for me but for those around me.
