Have you ever been stranded on the side of the road because you ran out of gas? Me neither. But I do vividly remember literally cruising (while praying) into gas stations a couple times because I had ignored the warning light on my gas gauge for too long. In fact, my wife will tell you I’m notorious for determining just how far I can keep driving once that light comes on.
Unfortunately, too often I take the same approach in life. We’ve all heard the expression “running on fumes” before, but if we don’t notice that we’re living that way we can find ourselves stranded. Last week I talked about making sure to get rest over the summer to recharge, but this week I want to address another aspect of that – refueling.
As leaders we constantly need to be looking for ways to refill our tanks. Almost every time a leader falls – whether it’s due to a moral issue or they just burn out – it’s because they didn’t recognize that the low fuel warning light came on. So while rest is important and will help you refuel in some ways, it’s also important that you’re being poured into regularly.
Jesus said in Luke 6:39, “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?” We’re at our best in leading others when we’re filled with plenty to pour out to those we’re leading. Otherwise we’re just the blind leading the blind. There are many different ways to refuel and it varies for each person.
If you’re not sure what helps you refuel determine what makes activities you do that help you feel rested. Spend some time in worship and prayer, read a book, listen to some encouraging podcasts, take a nature walk, shut off your cell phone, get away for a weekend with your spouse, or spend some time with friends. Whatever helps you put new gas in your tank make sure that you spend your time doing it this summer.
A leader who intentionally takes time to recharge and refuel is a leader who will recover and remain.
Next week I’m going to be on vacation with my wife taking some time to refuel. For that reason, next week’s post will be a repost of something I wrote for the Faith on Campus blog that you should find very helpful.