Returning from Haiti is always a huge culture shock--arriving there, and then transitioning home. The shock to my system on re-entry is usually a good one, but there are the issues of cleansing my system, acclimating to weather, jet lag and returning to a mountain of work.
There are always certain regimens at work--e-mails, correspondence, meetings, visits, administrative responsibilities, study and preparation, and unscheduled emergencies. They are just a normative part of the every day work environment of a pastor. Your job, no doubt, has much of the same predictable and unexpected.
There can be an accompanying sense of dread, or, at least, apprehension, about what awaits me. But I have learned I win the battle in the trenches of my mind long before I sit down at my desk in the office. Here are some of the things I do to counter the giant of dread.
D-etermine some boundaries for the week or you'll be submerged in an inundation of more than you can handle.
R-ely on your ability to decide what is really important though others may press their agenda on you...and then do those things first.
E-xpect that not everyone will be happy with where they fall on your priority list, but be content that you are committed to quality work, not a quantity of work.
A-ffirm those around you who have been waiting for you, and remind them that you will make time for them as you work through your checklist of things to accomplish.
D-on't neglect your relationship with God and your family--two areas that generally succumb to the "tyranny of the urgent".
I've been home three days from a week in Haiti..and reminding myself what really matters now that I'm back to the routine!
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