On Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Starbucks closed all of its American stores at 5:30 PM so that employees nationwide could receive a three hour retraining of sorts on the intricacies of making the perfect cup of espresso. Customers were turned away at the door as employees were trained and had their skills refined. CEO Howard Shultz urged employees to work to regain the original soul of the company and to restore the customer experience.
What lesson can we learn from the coffee shop turned world domination machine that is Starbucks? Time away to focus on our core principles makes us better. Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus would often withdraw to isolated places to pray. In a world of constant contact and the expectation that we will always produce, it is ever more important that we take time to refocus and retrain. Jesus needed time alone, how much more do we need time away from distractions (whether good or bad) to be strengthened for the ministry tasks to which we have been assigned?
Of course getting away is often easier said than done. I myself struggle with scheduling these quiet times away, but I also struggle with a false sense of guilt for not being in my office and accessible by the people of my church. I need to be reminded regularly of my primary responsibility to equip the saints. I often confuse equipping with resourcing. By being constantly available, I am a great resource to the people of Malvern Hill, but unless I am getting away on a regular basis to pray, study, and grow then I will do a terrible job of equipping the people of Malvern Hill for the ministry ahead of them. In short, I can pour into others only when I am being regularly filled.
I have found that having others to hold me accountable in this area is very beneficial. Church members who hold me accountable for not getting away relieve me of my false sense of guilt and empower me to do what I know I should be doing. We often feel that by shutting the door to people we hurt our ministry and productivity, but what Starbucks discovered, we should know too. We worry that if we turn someone away they may not come back or we may miss a golden opportunity to minister to a real hurting need, but we forget that even Jesus got away regularly. By closing the door and focusing on who we are and what we are about, we can be better equipped to deliver what is expected of us, not just what is easily accessed.
So be encouraged to close the door. Leave the office. Find a quiet place. Hit the red button on your phone. Turn off your email. Use that awesome do not disturb function in iOS. And then watch your spiritual life get deeper and your ministry multiply as you reconnect with Who matters-“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
