The Wellspring of Life. . .

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

John Eldridge, in his book, "Waking the Dead" says that you cannot truly give to others if your own heart is neglected. I have seen the effects of this in my own life. In ministry especially, the lines between work and rest are fuzzy. If we love our jobs, we can work up to 80 hours in a week without even realizing it. Our hearts, however, feel the burden of such work. We may physically feel fine, but inwardly our hearts are being defeated. Fatigue and burnout catch up with us quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. Eldridge claims that we are all in a battle for our hearts, and we must fight by actively guarding our "wellspring of life."

For me, the battle feels confusing. A year and a half ago, I realized that I need a structured battle plan. Even with my own good intentions, if I don't have an outlined strategy, then I will most likely lose the fight. Here's what I came up with in August of 2004:

- Take at least one complete day off each week
- Have an extended time of at least 3 hours in prayer, reading the Bible, and reflection each week
- Take one 8 hour retreat day per month (similar to extended time above)
- Take one 24 hour retreat per semester
- Take one 48 hour retreat per year
- Take 5 prayer walks per week
- read for pleasure in the evenings before bed
- Find a consistent hobby or project

Certainly, I haven't been perfect at keeping each of these "Proverbs 4" activities, but overall I am very pleased with their effects so far. As the new semester begins here at BGSU, I am committed to continuing these activities in an attempt to stay in ministry for the long haul. In many ways, I feel it is my responsibility to take care of myself in this way in order to more fully devote myself to God's work here on campus.

I should also note that I am still searching for a good hobby. I guess my criteria for this hobby are sort of strict - I'm hoping to find something that is productive, but not directly ministry related. Any ideas out there?