From the book Equilibrium: 31 Ways to Stay Balanced on Life’s Uneven Surfaces.
Remember why you do what you do.
We need to remember the why before investing too much time on the what.
Remove your title and just be you. Even if others need to use your title when they call your name, remember to never identify yourself based on your job. You are more likely to stay and see the health of endurance if you serve the right way for the right reasons.
* What is the right way for you to serve?
Remember the reason you do what you do. Investigate your motives again and return to the right way you should be serving. It can’t be applause and approval. It can’t be wealth and fame. If it is, now is the time to stay where you are but serve there with different motives and in different ways. Remember the right way to serve.
* What is the right place for you to serve?
The next chapter talks about leaving. For now, talk to people you trust who know you well. Get their honest opinions about the right place for you to serve. Ask questions. Answer questions. Think and pray deep thoughts and prayers. Write a story about who you are and where you are serving. Determine if you fit in that story and how you can work there in a way that is good for your health and those you serve.
* What are the right reasons you should serve?
Think back again about the right reasons you should do the right thing. If you are a follower of Jesus, remember His calling. You are invited to go and make disciples. The programs might overwhelm you. The people might devastate you. The expectations might engulf you. But return to why you do what you do, then get help so you can remove unnecessary pressure and unhealthy motives from your story.
Why do you do what you do? What do you love about it? What brings you the most stress? What are you doing with your hurt? If you left your present vocation and location, what hurts might you carry with you? If you stay, how can you serve as a shining light to those around you?
Rather than investing all your energy on what you do, remember why you do what you do. Before rushing any decision to leave, search for something bigger and better, or live with a sense of defeat, spend time with Jesus, with a counselor or life coach or trusted friend, write your feelings down, and refuse to make a choice when your emotions are unstable. It is always better to leave in a good mood than run away during a crisis. Wait in a healthy way—getting help, facing reality, and refusing to deny your pain.
