Finding a “healthy work-life balance” is a myth for leaders.
Leadership responsibilities do not have a start or end time; as long as you are leading, you are always “on.”
The goal is not to find a healthy balance; the goal is to be a good steward of the time you have.
“Stewardship” is a word Christians tend to associate with finances more than time. But the Bible teaches us that we are to “make the most of the time” (Ephesians 5:16) and invites us to ask God to “teach us to number our days carefully” (Psalm 90:12). Every day and hour of your week is given to you by God, and He calls you and I to manage our time and use each moment in a way that glorifies Him.
You aren’t really managing your time—you’re managing the time He has entrusted to you.
When it comes to time management, leaders are always drawn to two separate ditches on either side of the road.
You aren’t really managing your time—you’re managing the time He has entrusted to you.
The first ditch is becoming a workaholic. Even if you’re a volunteer in a men’s ministry, you can be a workaholic as a leader.
The second ditch is laziness that masquerades as self-care. Don’t get me wrong, self-care is important, but there has been a movement in recent years towards a form of rest that gives people permission to avoid the kind of hard work it takes to be a faithful leader.
How do we manage time in a way that honours God? Before I answer that question, take a moment to pull out your calendar. If you don’t utilize a calendar to plan your time, well, now is as good a time as any to start. Open your calendar and set aside time blocks based on the following questions.
Start with Rest
Rest is the oxygen you need on the airplane of your life. Start by planning when you will rest. We were made, physically and spiritually, to rest first and to work out of our rest.
Here are some areas to consider:
- When is your weekly Sabbath?
- When are your vacations or other special days in your family?
- When will you exercise?
- How much sleep does your body need to work at max capacity?
- When will you do things that help your soul to rest in God each day? To put it plainly, when will you spend time reading the Bible, praying, and in fellowship with other believers?
Go to Work
Whether you are a volunteer Men’s Ministry leader or a paid minister, your day job helps pay your bills. What does a normal work week look like? Don’t cut any corners there. Honouring your employer is an act of honouring God (Colossians 3:23).
Engage Your Family and Friends
The Bible is pretty clear about the importance of caring for your own family as a higher priority than leading in your church context (1 Timothy 3:4). If you are married, have an honest conversation with your wife on what it looks like to build a healthy marriage and family. In my case, I know I need to be home a certain number of nights each week, and I have a regular rhythm of spending time with my adult children and grandchildren.
What’s Left?
As you’ve taken care of these important things, how much time do you have left in your week? What you do with this time is quite often the difference between being a faithful leader and a lazy man.
Some of you can’t say “no” to any opportunity that comes your way, but your calendar will because the time God has given you each week eventually runs out. You won’t be able to do everything you want to do or that other people want you to do. Prioritize your ministry plan and opportunities within the time you have remaining each week.
Use this time to devote yourself to the Kingdom of God more than to the Kingdom of Netflix or video games.
Zoom Out Before Zooming In
When you have leadership responsibilities, you cannot live day-to-day or even week-to-week. Leaders are always looking into the future. It’s often a great idea to put your major events or projects on the calendar at the beginning of the year before other things crowd them out.
Healthy time management requires you to step back and view the year as a whole. There will be occasional weeks where you are really busy with a project and don’t have much time for your family, but that can’t be the theme of your year.
Time management is not optional for faithful and fruitful men who want their leadership to last the test of time. Cultivate this skill so you can be the leader God has called you to be.
About
