Don’t Fix It On Sunday
We’ve all been there.
You’re heading through the normal routine of the weekend life of a ministry leader: arrive early. Double-check your checklist. Turn on the lights. Fire up the sound system. Get some coffee brewing. Straighten up chairs pick up trash gather the teamtogethergiveinstructionsgetthemorningstartedrunrunruncollapse.
And in the middle of the ever-increasing rush to get it all done, serve your guests, and point people to Jesus, you feel the need to point out some other things.
Maybe it’s the volunteer who didn’t answer a guest’s question the way you think they should’ve. Perhaps it’s an announcement that wasn’t delivered with the punch you thought it could have had. It could be that the traffic flow didn’t really…well…flow.
And the temptation is to jump in right then and make it right. Have a conversation. Do some coaching. Or in extreme situations, make some heads roll.
Sometimes, that’s necessary. Sometimes, that’s wise. If it’s a safety issue or a rudeness-to-guests issue, then that’s a situation where it has to be fixed at that very moment. But other times, maybe we’re better to let it lag until Monday. Here are five reasons why we shouldn’t always fix it on Sunday:
1. Fixing it on Sunday assumes we see the whole picture. In our quest to be quick, we can be incomplete. Knee-jerk reactions rarely take into account all that is happening in the moment. Usually when I’ve offered in-the-moment advice, I find out there’s more I didn’t know. If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13 (ESV)
2. Fixing it on Sunday can undermine our volunteers. If you don’t trust the people on the front line, maybe they shouldn’t be there. But if they are there, we should assume the best about their intentions. Correcting a volunteer on the spot (which is different from coaching) can come across as arrogant and diminishes their buy-in for their role.
3. Fixing it on Sunday can provide a less-than-adequate fix. Rather than slapping on a band-aid, why not figure out what’s causing the bleeding? Addressing issues quickly is important, but sometimes speed addresses symptoms, not source.
4. Fixing it on Sunday re-prioritizes the morning. As leaders, our one-sentence job description shouldn’t be “I put out fires.” (And yes, I may or may not have said that myself last weekend.) But when we toss on the red hat and grab the hose, we rarely walk through the weekend with intentionality.
5. Fixing it on Sunday doesn’t give you time to seek wisdom. Stop. Breathe. Think. Process. I get so focused on being right that I forget to ask if I am right. Get someone else’s opinion. Gather your sounding boards. Pray. Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. Proverbs 28:26 (ESV)
My name is Danny, and I’m a Sunday-morning fixer. Maybe you are, too. This weekend, let’s commit to be encouragers, and leave the fixing until Monday.
