Are You TOO BUSY? Take this Quiz to find out....

As ministry leaders we are almost always too busy doing "stuff" and saying it's "for God".  I'm not saying that everything you do isn't "for God".  But most of what we do we don't even ask God if He wants us to do it at all.  We simply think, "Of course God would want me to do this!" or "A lot of our congregation has requested that we start doing this" or "We have done this every year and everyone expects us to do it", so we justify overloading our life and calendar doing stuff "for God" that He never asked us to do.....especially around this time of the year. 

Too often we spend too much time at work (in ministry) and ask God to take care of our family.  When all the time God is telling us that we should be spending more time with our families and asking Him to take care of the ministry.  God has called us to Him first, our families second, and then our ministry/job.  My prayer for you after reading this blog and taking this quiz is that it helps you put what you already know into better perspective, the forefront of your mind ,and into daily practice.  We all need to be reminded over and over again because we have an uncanny ability to wander and attain our self-worth in our jobs, how much we are doing, how others view our "success", and not in Christ alone.

Take this quiz and see if you have a tendency to be TOO BUSY:

Answer the following statements with this question and rate yourself according to the following scale:

"The statement is true of me..."

1 = Never
2 = Sometimes
3 = Often true
4 = Always true

1. ____I prefer to do most things myself rather than ask for help.
2. ____I get very impatient when I have to wait for someone else or when something takes too long, such as long, slow-moving lines.
3. ____I seem to be in a hurry, racing against the clock.
4. ____I get irritated when I am interrupted while I am in the middle of something,
5. ____I stay busy and keep many "irons in the fire."
6. ____I find myself doing two or three things at one time, such as eating lunch and writing a memo, while talking on the phone.
7. ____I over commit myself by biting off more than I can chew.
8. ____I feel guilty when I am not working on something.
9. ____It is important that I see the concrete results of what I do.
10. ____I am more interested in the final results of my work than in the process.
11. ____Things just never seem to move fast enough or get done fast enough for me.
12. ____I lose my temper when things don't go my way or work out to suit me.
13. ____I ask the same question, without realizing it, after I've already been given the answer.
14. ____I spend a lot of time mentally planning and thinking about future events, while tuning out the here and now.
15. ____I find myself continuing to work after my co-workers have called it quits.
16. ____I get angry when people don't meet my standards of perfection.
17. ____I get upset when I am in situations where I cannot be in control.
18. ____I tend to put myself under pressure with self-imposed deadlines.
19. ____ It is hard for me to relax when I'm not working.
20. ____ I spend more time working than socializing with friends or pursuing hobbies and leisure activities.
21. ____I dive into projects to get a head start before all the phases have been finalized.
22. ____I get upset with myself for making even the smallest mistake.
23. ____I put more thought, time and energy into my work than I do into my relationships with friends and loved ones.
24. ____I forget, ignore or minimize important family celebrations such as birthdays, reunions, anniversaries or holidays.
25. ____I make important decisions before I have all the facts and have a chance to think them through thoroughly.

Now add up the numbers in the blanks for your score.

25-49 = You are not overdoing it.
Congratulations! You've achieved a balance between getting things done and taking time for yourself. Keep it up!

50-69 = You are mildly overdoing it.
You're doing really well, but be careful, you have a tendency to become very busy. Take time for the things that are important to you and don't be afraid to say no.

70-100 = You are highly overdoing it.
Well, you're too busy, but you probably knew that already.  Make the necessary adjustments to add margin to you life and trust God to take care of the rest.

"God, thank you for lavishing Your love on us.  Thank you for the immeasurable grace You extend to us every day.  And thank You for the gift of our families.  Help us to never put our ministry responsibility above or before our spiritual intimacy with You and our families.  In Jesus precious name we ask it..."

Comments

[Mark Jaffrey]

Sorry mate, I'm too busy to take the survey.

[Mark Jaffrey]

Couldn't resist that! Actually, this survey comes after a day (or week or, more accurately, a month) of big stress, and then two hours in Cafe Greco with a friend unburdening, and then two hours on the sofa with Felicity discussing this very issue.

Thanks for a very insightful post.

[Crystal Renaud]

haha, mark. i was going to say the same thing.

i am "mildy overdoing it" with a score of 61. that's probably not a good answer.

[Debra]

I'm pretty excited! I scored so much better on this than I would have a year ago. There's still room for growth, but there's a LOT LESS stress. Hooray! I'm actually looking forward to Christmas.