Say When

After only 8 years, I can say I've learned the important lesson of "when to say when."

"Saying when" for those not familiar with the term, is best understood in an example.  When I was a bit too little to scoop my own mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, whatever relative with the advantage of full adult height would take the serving bowl of potatoes and say, "Say when."  I would then let them pile an astronomical amount of mashed potatoes on my bowl before I finally said the magic word, "When," and they passed the now severely diminished bowl along.  Now if that bowl had been stuffing or rum cake, the "when" would likely have been after the first very small spoonful.

In ministry it is hard to say when.  Say when it is time to go home despite a lengthy, ever increasing to-do list.  Say when you need to take a few days away even if it means missing the regional young adult picnic or your seniors' play.  Say when you cannot add another program to your ministries because you want at least one night at home.  All those demands are worthy and we want to fulfill them.

But one thing I learned from all those mashed potatoes, if you don't say when soon enough, and you plow through them all, then at some point, you reach a point where you're so stuffed you just can't move.  Same with ministry - you become so full of stress and exhaustion that it hits you full force.  For me, I tend to get physically ill (my doctor now knows how to tell when I've had a major, international event - I end up needing antibiotics or such).

So today, with a sinus headache raging due to a headcold, I am going to say enough for this week.  I am going to head home and do nothing for the rest of today and tomorrow.  Then I will be ready for youth leadership on Sunday and the Parish Mission.

Enough.