Obviously the gas station is a place to pump a necessary liquid into your car to make it run. Leaders need “good stuff” flowing into their lives as well, to maximize their leadership in the lives of others—and to not “run out of gas” in ministry. Here are some tips/quotes:
A. Start journaling. “Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly stated and identified.” –William Feather
B. Build an interdependent support system of key people/life-givers:
1. Spouse (Freshen up your marriage!)
2. Friends (Ask for accountability)
3. Small group (Hang with other obedient followers of God)
4. Mentor (Gain wisdom from someone further down the road from you)
5. Counselor? (Probe the reasons you are stuck)
“A true friend is someone who can get us to do what we can.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson “Difficult times always create opportunities for you to experience more love in your life.” –Barbara DeAngelis
C. Take one day at a time; live in the present
1. Free up from the past (Forgive and get forgiveness.). “Time heals all wounds unless you pick at them.” –Shawn Alexander
2. Don’t worry/live in fear about the future. “Where your head goes, your body follows.”
3. Seize the day! Deal with it! Launch it! Pursue it!
“Just for today I will be happy. Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once.” –Sybyl Partridge
“The beginning is always today.” –Mary Shelley
“Prepare your mind to receive the best that life has to offer.” –Ernest Holmes
D. Receive AROMA therapy: (Ask for it from your spouse and support system, or fill your life with it yourself. Your group even provides some!)
1. Affection (touch)
2. Respect (put up a boundary for disrespect)
3. Order (de-clutter/simplify life, work/home spaces, and mind)
4. Merriment (have fun, see humor in things)
5. Affirmation (self-affirmations are all you can control)
E. Cease complaining and up your gratefulness quotient
1. For your salvation and all that is represented by Jesus’ love
2. For your calling and gifts, and a place to put them in play
3. For every good and perfect gift (no matter how small) that comes from above
4. For what you are learning in the dark times/the refiner’s fire
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” –Charles Dickens You can either complain that rose bushes have thorns—or rejoice that thorn bushes have roses.
F. Start a wellness regimen. “The groundwork of all happiness is health.” –Leigh Hunt
1. Begin exercising daily. Find a way to move; don’t give up.
2. Start making healthy choices in eating/drinking (every 3-4 hrs).
3. Get plenty of rest (both sleep and Sabbath rest, and other downtime)
4. Find ways (besides 1-3) to decompress: hobby, lessons, energizing activity, processing with a friend, solitude/silence
G. Spend as much time as possible abiding in the presence of God…
1. “Real” applicable devotions and meditation on it
2. Gut-level honest prayer (confession; surrender; fasting; personal communion)
3. Literature that points you to God
…and learn all the lessons He’s teaching you in the dark night of your soul. Negative patterns? Evaluated experience is the best teacher. “There are some flowers that will not yield their perfume till they are bruised.” “When you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find God lives there.”
H. Do something in your passion every day/week.
I. Build new habits (21 days) and protect them with boundaries.
“The secret of success is what you do daily.” –Maxwell “Without consistency, there is no moral strength.” Mentally prepare for the day.
Final thoughts: Start now!
“No matter how big and tough a problem may be, get rid of confusion by taking one little step toward solution. Do something. Then try again.” –George Nordenholt
Don’t be like this circuit-riding preacher!
“The Lord gave me a horse to ride and a message to deliver. Alas, I have killed the horse and cannot deliver the message.” –Robert McCheyne, dead at 29
