It happens………….
Have you ever felt like you’ve been ran over by a bus? Twice? Or have you ever felt like being thrown against a wall is a viable option? Well before you ready the catapult to launch yourself, or when that bus comes around again I want to encourage you.
I worked once in an organization where there motto was vulgar but true. I will change it for the secular-challenged folks, there motto was:
“It happens”
Sorry to say that it was not a septic cleaning company otherwise, it would have been advertising genius! That place taught me many lessons, two of which I will share in general here:
The first is the quality of your product is a direct reflection of the standards promoted and accepted (by the actions of the administrators, not the standards written on a wall).
The second… IT’S TRUE! “it” does indeed happen. Setbacks do occur regardless of resource, talent, skill, and preparation. Yet it’s how we overcome when it does happen that builds strength in a team or individual
So I would vigorously push my team and produce. I would coach them and help when necessary to ensure our product was up to the standards lined out in the manuals. But soon the high tempo remained constant. The demand was higher than we could supply, and there was no way to catch a break. Challenges were every where, and we were burning out fast.
It can happen whether in business or in ministry on the job or at home. Burnout does happen and will happen to you if you don’t continue to build up your core strengths.
Here’s what helped me,
1. I got to a stopping point, went to a place where I could be alone as I could be (on my job the bathroom stall was a good place) and I prayed. I prayed specifically for peace over myself and my team. I didn’t move from that state until I knew that I was calm. Then, I asked Jesus to help me figure out how to overcome being sick and tired.
2. I had realized that I lost my passion for the work I was doing. In the book of Revelation it records a letter written to a church stating they have everything except their love for God. They were intently focused on administration at the cost of ministry. They were so busy doing church that they forgot who church was for.
I tried to reinvent what I did personally to regain the joy I had once lost. I branched out from there and found other areas that needed attention.
Recognize that challenges do exist; if they did not there would be no depth in your skill or task. You would not develop a quality product with out it. Without the wind blowing, tree limbs would snap off the trunk due to no previous resistance. We would suffer greatly if we did not encounter struggles.
Challenges happen! I think how we meet these obstacles determine if we recover or restart.
Please do not become offended. My intent was not to offend but to illustrate from a personal perspective how we handle lifes moments . Remember, we are being observed…