Wellness
19/06/15 05:17
A few days ago I attended a wellness committee meeting at the Sheriff’s Office. Chaplains are part of the team of people who are working to develop programs that will enhance the lives of the employees of the office. As I listened to the participants speak of the problems that the officers face, it seemed to me that I had heard similar issues before - in fact it seemed to me that many of the issues raised fit right into the categories of stress management classes that we were teaching back in the 1970s and ‘80s. Four decades have produced volumes and volumes of research on stress and living in modern times, but we don’t seem to have a good handle on the dynamics of getting people to put the knowledge we have into play in their everyday lives.
In general, the employees of the office are in good physical shape. For officers there are annual physical fitness tests that require them to prove that they have trained their bodies well enough to stand up to the rigors of a job that is physically demanding. The office maintains a gym that is open 24/7 and is equipped with a variety of machines to help with overall fitness. Officers have access to a running track and other areas to train. And, if you listen to them, you’ll quickly learn how important physical workouts are to their emotional stability as well. Their times of working out and exercising give their minds opportunities to process and defuse the stresses of their demanding jobs. Those who work out regularly seem to have more options when they face stressful situations.
Exercise builds endurance and endurance is critical for a wide range of jobs. It isn’t just people whose jobs are physically demanding who need endurance. Vacation Bible School is a kind of endurance test for those of us who work at the church. 5 straight days of 14-hour workdays plus all of our regular duties add up. And, you might remember, we work on weekends at the church. Like the officers of the sheriff’s office, we need to be available every day of the week, not just some of the days.
Add in a funeral this morning and you might see us yawning from time to time.
It is good work. We feel that we are making a difference in people’s lives. We feel that we are contributing to the needs of our community and serving the people. We feel that we are doing what we were called to do. Still, it can be a bit of an endurance test at times.
Complete wellness, however, requires more than the discipline of regular exercise - at least our bodies aren’t the only parts of our lives in need of regular activity. I’ve discovered that as I age, I need to be as disciplined about mental exercises as I am about taking care of my body. There are more things juggling in my memory and I need to be vigilant to keep my memory strong. I try to read as much as I can, to spend time each day wrestling with a poem, and to play games that stretch and exercise my memory.
A healthy body and a healthy mind are important. Most important of all, is a healthy spirit. And that requires both discipline and creativity. We don’t control our spirits. The disciplines that nurture my spirit might seem like drudgery to others. Writing this blog has been an important part of my life. I know others who say, “How can you do that?” For them it would be torture to write an essay each day. I find the reflection of writing to be important, but I also need time for quiet and prayer. I need to sort out my thoughts and feelings and I need to give time to listen for God’s gentle directing of my life.
In addition to private Bible study, I need regular study with others. Bouncing my interpretations and reactions off of others and listening to theirs expands the meaning of the sacred texts for me. Some of the members of my lectionary study group have been meeting together for more than a decade. That means we’ve gone through the lectionary three times and are immersed on our fourth journey through those texts. We are still discovering new meanings and insights that we had missed on previous readings. There is much that is breaking forth.
These days I am more aware that life itself is an endurance event. Serving a church is far more than busy weeks of long days and short nights. It is about years of service and decades of work. Developing long term relationships has not always been a mark of pastoral service, but I have discovered that it may be at the core of faithfully serving people - not just witnessing the transformation of new relationships, but also being present for the long-term.
As I think of today’s funeral, I remember so many other occasions we have shared. The widow is a singer with a beautiful voice. A few years ago she was our “go to” soloist for funerals. We’ve don dozens and dozens of funerals together. The daughter has worked closely with us on Christian education events. She knows the rigors of Vacation Bible School first hand. The granddaughter was active in church programs as a youth and participated in a National Youth Event. We go into the funeral of a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather in the context of established relationships and the understanding that this is not the end. We will continue to support one another in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
Wellness isn’t just the overall health of the individuals that make up an organization, but also the health of the overall organization. Do we have the resources to provide coverage for each other? Can we give our colleagues a break when a break is needed? Is our team effective in the midst of crisis?
Of course I’m not ready to raise all of my questions in a single meeting. But I suspect that I have much to say in the months to come about wellness at the sheriff’s office.
In general, the employees of the office are in good physical shape. For officers there are annual physical fitness tests that require them to prove that they have trained their bodies well enough to stand up to the rigors of a job that is physically demanding. The office maintains a gym that is open 24/7 and is equipped with a variety of machines to help with overall fitness. Officers have access to a running track and other areas to train. And, if you listen to them, you’ll quickly learn how important physical workouts are to their emotional stability as well. Their times of working out and exercising give their minds opportunities to process and defuse the stresses of their demanding jobs. Those who work out regularly seem to have more options when they face stressful situations.
Exercise builds endurance and endurance is critical for a wide range of jobs. It isn’t just people whose jobs are physically demanding who need endurance. Vacation Bible School is a kind of endurance test for those of us who work at the church. 5 straight days of 14-hour workdays plus all of our regular duties add up. And, you might remember, we work on weekends at the church. Like the officers of the sheriff’s office, we need to be available every day of the week, not just some of the days.
Add in a funeral this morning and you might see us yawning from time to time.
It is good work. We feel that we are making a difference in people’s lives. We feel that we are contributing to the needs of our community and serving the people. We feel that we are doing what we were called to do. Still, it can be a bit of an endurance test at times.
Complete wellness, however, requires more than the discipline of regular exercise - at least our bodies aren’t the only parts of our lives in need of regular activity. I’ve discovered that as I age, I need to be as disciplined about mental exercises as I am about taking care of my body. There are more things juggling in my memory and I need to be vigilant to keep my memory strong. I try to read as much as I can, to spend time each day wrestling with a poem, and to play games that stretch and exercise my memory.
A healthy body and a healthy mind are important. Most important of all, is a healthy spirit. And that requires both discipline and creativity. We don’t control our spirits. The disciplines that nurture my spirit might seem like drudgery to others. Writing this blog has been an important part of my life. I know others who say, “How can you do that?” For them it would be torture to write an essay each day. I find the reflection of writing to be important, but I also need time for quiet and prayer. I need to sort out my thoughts and feelings and I need to give time to listen for God’s gentle directing of my life.
In addition to private Bible study, I need regular study with others. Bouncing my interpretations and reactions off of others and listening to theirs expands the meaning of the sacred texts for me. Some of the members of my lectionary study group have been meeting together for more than a decade. That means we’ve gone through the lectionary three times and are immersed on our fourth journey through those texts. We are still discovering new meanings and insights that we had missed on previous readings. There is much that is breaking forth.
These days I am more aware that life itself is an endurance event. Serving a church is far more than busy weeks of long days and short nights. It is about years of service and decades of work. Developing long term relationships has not always been a mark of pastoral service, but I have discovered that it may be at the core of faithfully serving people - not just witnessing the transformation of new relationships, but also being present for the long-term.
As I think of today’s funeral, I remember so many other occasions we have shared. The widow is a singer with a beautiful voice. A few years ago she was our “go to” soloist for funerals. We’ve don dozens and dozens of funerals together. The daughter has worked closely with us on Christian education events. She knows the rigors of Vacation Bible School first hand. The granddaughter was active in church programs as a youth and participated in a National Youth Event. We go into the funeral of a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather in the context of established relationships and the understanding that this is not the end. We will continue to support one another in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
Wellness isn’t just the overall health of the individuals that make up an organization, but also the health of the overall organization. Do we have the resources to provide coverage for each other? Can we give our colleagues a break when a break is needed? Is our team effective in the midst of crisis?
Of course I’m not ready to raise all of my questions in a single meeting. But I suspect that I have much to say in the months to come about wellness at the sheriff’s office.