what’s been keeping me busy

Defining culture, that’s what has been keeping me busy lately. Culture is an interesting thing. What country we’re from, our family, our faith, all of that plays into our culture and the values we hold dear. The biggest task in stepping back into leadership here in S. Africa has been defining the culture, how we’re going to do life as a ministry and the values we are going to live by. Y’all, that’s hard work.

It’s for that reason (defining culture) that I’ve had to step into some roles that are not my first choice in order to bring structure and definition. Implementing new structures are just one small part of defining culture, but that alone sure takes a lot of time. It’s for that reason that I need to take breathers more often than not. It’s for that reason that I have to ask God every single day to give me the strength and grace for the moment. My capacity is being stretched in so many ways. It’s a good thing, but I’m also trying so very hard to remember the sabbatical lessons I learned so that this season doesn’t lead me down a path of burn out.

I’m definitely learning new things in this defining culture process. There are times in our lives when we have to do jobs that are not our first choice. That’s just life. But in the midst of those jobs, we have to find the things that do give us life and make sure we are incorporating those into our day or week. I’m not there yet, but I’m trying to get there. I know what gives me life outside of ministry and the tasks that I’ve had to take on, but finding the time to do them has been difficult.

So there’s probably going to be several more breathers here and there as I navigate this season of my life. I’m constantly having to prioritize and let things go as need be. What keeps me going is knowing that this is exactly where our family needs to be. Hope my random thoughts came out in some kind of clear manner here. 🙂