A few years ago, I knew that I was in danger of burning out. I was working full time in pastoral ministry. On top of my responsibilities at the church, I was coaching clients, completing all the requirements necessary to maintain my coaching credentials, serving as associate staff for a national organization, and I was helping my denomination build a disciple-making culture. These were all good things, but the amount of work was crushing me.

At the same time, God was inviting me to create space and margin to nurture some other pieces of me. I sensed a need to have bits of time that were unspoken for woven in my week. It was a way to let my life breathe. I wasn't sure what I was going to do in these cracks and crevices and had a hard time justifying using precious time in this way. Space to breathe is a necessity, but I struggled to carve out this healthy rhythm.

I was afraid.

I knew I couldn’t keep up the pace. Honestly, I didn’t want to anymore. But I was afraid that if...

When I began my journey in pastoral leadership, I believed that to be a good leader, I needed to be available all of the time. I would meet people or attend meetings on my day off. I'd keep my phone on and close by so I could answer every call. I would check my email every day, sometimes late at night, just in case. When I was in my office, in the spirit of openness and transparency, I would allow anyone to come in at any time. I never wanted to be off-limits.

It was exhausting.

Being "on-call" nonstop interfered with essential ministry functions like my preparation for sermons, bible study, and meetings, it compromised my relationships and my family time, and it chipped away at my sanity. I needed space and quiet to let ideas percolate. I wanted to be able to work out and spend time with the Lord that wasn't related to my job. I needed to pick up my son from school on time and have the chance to make a healthy dinner and eat at the table like a civilized human being before getting...