Pacing

Learning to pace in life, in ministry, in anything is very difficult, yet crucial.

What is pacing? In its simplest form, pacing is learning to manage your energy and resources so you can finish well with some energy in reserve.

Think of riding a bicycle up a hill. If you attack too aggressively, too soon, you do not have enough energy left to finish the climb or best case you barely finish. If you pace correctly, you will climb steadily and smoothly and the best part is that you will be able to keep riding when you reach the top.

This often seems like an apt analogy for life in general. I find it especially helpful in technical ministry. Tech ministry tends to be feast or famine. Everything is working smoothly, deadlines are met, equipment is maintained, and projects are well planned OR everything is breaking, deadlines do not exist, your maintenance list is a mile long, and you are making projects up as they go along. Which scenario relates best to you?

Personally, I find myself in the latter category much too often. If you do not pace carefully, burnout is inevitable.

One part of pacing is realizing that there is a natural ebb and flow to life. In other words, there are periods of time when the pace is high and you work hard. At other times, things slow down a little and you can back off the pace and work steadily without a lot of pressure or stress. Look for those times to ease off and go a little easier. Really pay attention to your time commitments and make sure you do not fill your schedule up with other things.

Another part of pacing is just taking a break once in a while. I used to be a workaholic of sorts; I took vacations if I had time, which wasn’t often. Working full time in tech ministry has quickly taught me how necessary it is to have time off to refresh, refocus, and rest. I try to take my vacation time each year. I also have team members who take time off from serving. Sometimes they take off for the summer or for a month during another part of the year. I think it is good for them and I encourage it.

The recipe for pacing is extremely individual, but if you truly want to be the best servant of God you can be; you must take time to rest. God didn’t create the world in six days and then rush on to the next project. He took a day to rest.

I think we can learn a lot from his example. What do you think?