Fight for Balance
Ready — During the late nineteenth century, a typical American factory worker labored ten to sixteen hours a day, six days a week. Exhaustion was considered the price of earning a living. Few employers questioned the system, and even fewer workers believed change was possible. One man did. His name was Ira Steward. While others accepted long hours as inevitable, Steward argued that people were created for more than endless labor. He believed shorter workdays would strengthen workers, families, businesses, and society itself.
Set — Steward faced fierce opposition. Business owners insisted productivity would collapse. Economists dismissed his ideas as unrealistic. Labor reformers often viewed his proposals as too ambitious.
Steward refused to give up. He wrote articles, organized workers, delivered speeches, and patiently built support for a movement that seemed impossible. His ideas inspired labor organizations and influenced reforms that eventually transformed workplaces throughout the United States.
Success came because he . . .
Challenged the Status Quo: He asked whether long-standing practices created healthy people and families.
Stood for People: Steward believed people flourished when their lives reflected healthy balance.
Persevered Through Resistance: Meaningful reform almost always encounters opposition before it gains acceptance.
Thought Generationally: Steward planted seeds whose harvest he would never fully experience.
Led with Conviction: His influence came not from position or wealth, but from deeply held principles pursued consistently.
Grow! — Leaders fall into the trap of believing that busier always means better. Work is demanding, but exhaustion is not a calling. Healthy leaders build rhythms of work, rest, family, and renewal that enable them to serve well for decades rather than merely survive from week to week. Leadership is not measured by how many hours you work, but by how faithfully you steward the life that has been entrusted to you.
Two Questions
Are you modeling healthy rhythms of work and rest for those you lead?
What unhealthy tradition in your ministry needs to be challenged?