I hate to miss a shower for an excited bride or mother. I hate to miss being with a parent in the waiting room of a hospital as their child goes through surgery. The larger our church gets, the less I am able to do these things for every family. I may have attended 10 that month, and only missed one. I've determined that ministry requires more time and energy than I have of either one.
Time is valuable and it ticks away so quickly.
Our kids are growing up and moving on with their lives. Our church members take and take, and then move on at the drop of a hat after you invest years of your time with them. Now, He's a very important One, so I'd better be a woman of integrity. If I can do it, and I don't, then I am wrong. But if God knows that I am doing all I can do and someone gets offended, then it is between Him and them.