I’m back from a wonderful two week vacation in Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Tetons with my wife and 13 year old grandson. Since returning I’ve also talked with two colleagues who have just finished their sabbaticals and are resuming their tasks as pastors. Both my experience and theirs reminds me again of the issue of re-entry. Whether its vacation or sabbaticals, re-entry can be difficult. Your time away has re-introduced you to some of the pleasures of life, including the lack of perpetual deadlines and the necessary response to the needs of others, that are so draining in life. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the details that await your attention. The image I use is that it is like being on a 15 cup of coffee routine, then being away from the coffee and caffeine until your body is clean, and then abruptly resuming the 15 cup routine again. It takes you a little while to accustom your body again.
Some suggestions that might help.
Whether you did this before or not, write down a list of the most immediate projects, prioritize them, and only commit to a reasonable amount of them for the first week.
Recognize that even then, there will be unanticipated interruptions that will alter your schedule.
Deliberately only allow yourself to work a reasonable amount of hours each day, regardless of what you are able to complete in that time.
Remember that your ministry is a good work and the issue is not how to escape it but how to balance its demands in a reasonable manner.
Don’t assume you must accomplish everything at once. Don’t exhaust yourself in trying to finish the list.
Occasionally take a break and remember some of the things that have given you pleasure and indulge in some of them.
