Balancing Life and Ministry Jim Graff
I ’ ve been in ministry 32 years and let me tell you : they go fast . I was swinging our grandson in our backyard the other day , and I realized it wasn ’ t that long ago that I was swinging his dad . Seasons go fast . It ’ s been fun , but we ’ ve had to learn how to balance life and ministry . It was a fight , honestly , and it felt like we were losing the first year , even to the point that we considered quitting the ministry . As we went through the fight , we found that we stayed on course by employing just a few key principles , and I ’ d like to share two of those with you today .
The first key is that our calling keeps enthusiasm alive in our hearts . If the “ why ” we are here doesn ’ t become strong , the “ what ” we have to do becomes burdensome .
When our kids were little , people from church would call – sometimes revealing a family issue , sometimes a death had occurred in their family – and we ’ d find our girls hiding around the corner , listening in . They are all in some form of ministry today because they didn ’ t see just the “ what ,” they saw the “ why .” It wasn ’ t burdensome to be part of a church that made a difference ; it was a thing of joy !
33