Burn Out
It is no good to try to do everything by yourself.
The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?’ Moses said to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God.’ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God; teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do. You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you, but decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace.’ - Exodus 18:13-23
Moses' father-in-law was Jethro, a priest in Midian. Jethro came to Moses to talk with him about the work Moses was doing, and he offered him advice.
You have to delegate, he tells him. You cannot do all this work alone. It is too hard on you, and on the people who have to wait for you to be able to help them.
He tells Moses to teach others to decide the smaller cases, and leave the more serious ones for Moses to decide, creating a system that could get the work done more efficiently, with less strain.
This is good advice for all of us, especially now, when we are trying so hard to help as many people as possible. We cannot do everything, and we cannot do it alone.
We need to take the time to train and delegate, or we will burn out.
If we want to be able to continue doing what we are doing, we need to build a system, a network, processes, structure. It does not need to lead to a bureaucracy. It can be kept simple, but it needs to be done.
Jethro was right. And his advice is still relevant.
More to come...