Weekly Update// Pastor Will

 

Dear Asbury Family,

 It’s back-to-school week!

I remember when I was younger, back-to-school week was always the biggest bummer because that meant summer was over. It also meant that there were another ten months of school until we had summer again. I think the only part of back-to-school I enjoyed was getting some new clothes, a fresh haircut, and maybe even a new backpack. I would even go as far as to have my outfit for the first day of school planned out days in advance and laid out ready to go. Thankfully, as I got older, I started to find myself enjoying the first day of school and classes. You got to see who was in your classes, what the professors were going to be like, and it gave you a chance to look forward to (or panic) about all the work that the class required.

 One thing that I have carried with me from my time in Divinity School is utilizing a calendar. It took some time, but I would take all my syllabi, dates, and deadlines and put them all into my calendar. After a few hours, it was as if I had my whole semester planned out. This worked great most semesters for only about three weeks. The reason being is I never put in any rest or downtime. My calendar was full of stuff and it looked great on paper, but the burnout was real. The work and assignments had priority, but the rest never did. I would “fit” rest in if I could or if I really needed it. After hitting burnout more times than I like to admit, I found that rest was crucial and even needed to be scheduled to make sure it happened. Rest does not always mean sleeping or sitting still but rather can consist of a good book, a puzzle, playing an instrument, or a nice leisurely walk.

 Thankfully, God wants us to rest. Some of the more common stories of Jesus are when he is resting or sleeping, such as when he calms the storm in Mark 4. If Jesus finds it necessary to rest during a storm while on a boat, that’s good enough for me! So, whatever this back-to-school season brings for you, whether it be a new set of dates and deadlines or just a reason to get a haircut, make sure you be as intentional with rest as you do with your work to avoid burnout and prepare for the long haul!

 Blessings,

Pastor Will