Taking My Leave

Retiring from regular work is difficult for many people.  At the age of 70 my grandpa gave me his perspective on the matter:  "When you retire, you're just waiting around to die."  Believe it or not, he continued to run his own business laying carpet well into his 80's.  Many times I had colleagues during my mechanical insulation career who excitedly retired because they were finally of retiring age, just to see them return 6 months later because they missed the routine and extra money.  There were only so many projects left on their houses and fishing wasn't the outlet they hoped it would be.

Though I am God-willing decades from retirement (at this point it will be when God retires me!), I find it a great challenge to take my leave of pastoral ministry for weeks at a time.  When I do take leave, church related responsibilities seem to find me.  If I am asked to take weeks of my paid leave, it feels like a demand to leave family and the thing God has called me to do.  It feels like a forced obligation to turn a blind eye to needs and opportunity for service unto the LORD, even passing off my responsibility on others.  Pastoral work is aspect of my life I wouldn't trade, and I would do it paid or not.  As I mused on the subject yesterday, I discovered (strange as it might sound!) I would rather be unpaid for what I do than to be paid to step away from what I do.  My glad obligation to minister is not only before brothers and sisters in Christ whom I love but before the LORD.

A break from regular routine has benefits to be sure.  My family and I took a three-week trip to the States last year and it was filled with family, friends, good food, and happy memories.  I am not convinced, however, that a holiday does anything to "recharge my batteries."  That has a great deal more to do with the state of my relationship with Jesus and my season of life.  Personally I find trips and holidays generally more stressful than regular routine I find enjoyable enough.  There is no place I feel more at home than being in the arms of my wife, hanging out with my kids, and being intimately involved in church ministry.  To worship the LORD and preach the Word is not something I want or need a break from.  It is work to labour in the Word of God, but also amongst the greatest joys of my life.  Work is a necessary and beneficial aspect of life, one Jesus Himself relished (John 9:4).

The key in all of our labours is we do all as unto the LORD.  Colossians 3:22-24 says, "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  I could find unspeakable enjoyment working with itchy fibreglass every day when I fulfilled my responsibilities as unto the LORD.  There were plenty of rough days and difficult situations to navigate, but I learned enduring satisfaction does not come from a change of scenery, being a boss, making more money, or embarking on a new career:  it comes from a relationship with Jesus.  If you believe pastoral ministry will unlock satisfaction and fulfilment not yet realised, should you ever attain your dream job you stand to be seriously disappointed and disillusioned when what you wished for continues to elude you.  Praise the LORD that whatever we do - whether in routine or on a sabbatical - we can glorify God by doing so heartily as unto the LORD.  Even on holiday we never take our leave of Jesus our Saviour.