Too much to do, too little time. Sound familiar?

For most leaders, end of year can be a stressful time. With mere days left in the giving year and calendars filling up with holiday celebrations and obligations, November and December can be tricky months to navigate.

It doesn’t have to be.

At all times, but especially during times of increased stress or anxiety, I try to operate with the mantra choices lead, feelings follow.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the pressure rising? Have you ever felt like you were so busy, but couldn’t get it all done? Oftentimes, this is a false emotion.

Here are some simple questions to ask yourself during seasons of heightened stress and overwhelm.

Do I have “undone” stress?

We are actually deceiving ourselves; pressure and anxiety is actually coming from the fact that deep down we know that we need to…

We have all been there. We receive a nasty email or read something with which we vehemently disagree. We are unfairly attacked and accused. Our dignity and character are assaulted. Our deeply held values and beliefs are ridiculed and attacked. Hot anger and indignation arise from within. We hastily compose a verbal assault to defend our honor and character or our values and beliefs. We launch our digital arrows. We experience catharsis—for a little while.

Don’t do it.

There is no delete button on the Internet. You can’t put the toothpaste back into the tube.

There is a better way.

You show up for work and don’t have your usual “zing.”

Your sleeping habits are noticeably different. Whether resting or awake, you feel drained.

You snap at others, whether it’s justified or not.

You’re cynical and critical.

After dragging yourself to work, you can’t manage to get started.

The unexplainable headache is back, and the lower back pain is starting to get to you.

What gives?

You’re burnt out.

It seems fitting this week to be talking about snowflakes, doesn’t it? It is cold and snowy in many parts of the country where it shouldn’t be, which is why this concept came to my mind. If you don’t know me well, I am a scientist by training, and I love knowing the way the world works. To some, the detail I want to know is excessive, I suppose. But for me, snowflakes are one of these remarkably interesting things that when we come to understand them in detail, awe for the Creator follows.

Snowflakes are made of single or combined ice crystals that fall from clouds filled with water vapor. Water vapor sticks to very cold, microscopic particles of dirt, ash, or salt in a cloud. These particles attract more vapor and form droplets. The droplets freeze into ice crystals with six sides due to – get this – the uniquely strong INTERMOLECULAR FORCES… that is the way that water molecules interact with other water molecules. In God’s perfect design, water is a unicorn among other molecules, one that literally makes life possible. I could teach an entire course on the beauty of water. Actually, I did once… and maybe I will again.

I digress back to the science. More crystals form on the outside of the center ice crystal as water vapor collects and freezes. These crystals grow faster on the corners of the hexagon-shaped center crystal causing six dendrites to form on the snowflakes. The six main dendrites continue to grow smaller dendrites as water vapor collects and freezes on the crystals. As the crystal gets bigger and heavier, it falls from the cloud, continuing to form as it falls to the ground. This process causes every snowflake to be unique and each snowflake is remarkably beautiful.

When I think about snowflakes, I think about the variety we can see in them. I also think and am amazed at the wonder of God’s creation. I also think about some parallels I see between snowflakes and God’s people. Here are a few for you to consider:

There’s a trend in many of the questions I’m asked by leaders I admire most. Most of these questions all have to do with leading the most difficult person in your life: YOU!

One leader in particular whom I admire serves at the national level for Joni and Friends. His questions inspired me to write out some thoughts that I’d like to share with you.

Growing a culture of generous giving is no easy task, and growing your ability to lead yourself well is a key factor in taking things to the next level.

When I think of leading myself well, there are a couple of things to which I’ve devoted careful time and attention because these don’t come naturally to me: successful systems and habits …

I’ve been reading The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale lately. It’s one of those classic books that has sold millions of copies, but for some reason I haven’t gotten around to reading it until now. Probably because the title kind of put me off, but I'm actually really enjoy it!

One of the things that has struck me about this book is how many medical professionals the author has spoken to that link physical illness to broken thinking. One doctor he spoke to (Dr. Franklin Ebaugh) said the makeup of illness at hospitals was roughly as follows …

I was shocked but not as much as I should have been.

The social media background check revealed postings that included vulgar, sexually explicit language and posted videos about prostitution and drunkenness. The individual is a professing Christian with a credible profession of faith.

I've also encountered professing Christian parents, seminary students, and even Christian educators who routinely use foul and expletive filled language.

I have enough experience under my belt that nothing should surprise me anymore. I'm also theologically literate enough to understand human depravity.1 Yet, despite my life experiences and theological training, I am continuously and increasingly shocked by the gap between what so many Christians profess and how so many Christians live. And how they speak.

Bad language like sexual perversion is being normalized even among Christians.

This ought not to be …

During a recent speaking engagement where I focused on how you can grow your network of generous givers, a leader asked me: “Do you reach out to people who you are friends with? If so, how do you ask them to get involved or give generously to your vision?”

I can best answer this question by quoting a Grand Ole Opry country music star I once knew. He would say, “Wherever you are, there you are.”

Wherever you are, there you are …

A good man does not ask what is the way in which he must walk, or in which is the most pleasant walking, but what is the right way, the way in which he should walk. – Matthew Henry

They never said it would be easy. Leadership is hard. It always has been and always will be. Leading schools in a pandemic may be one of the harder leadership challenges. This is especially so in acountry sharply divided into political tribes and saturated with an entitled, “me first” perspective.

As we entered another difficult school year, I want to offer words of encouragement and perhaps some useful perspective as you are faced with hard decisions and hard reactions.

You will face criticism …