What to do when you are ‘weary in doing good’

I remember years ago talking to a Parent and Toddler Group Leader who was in tears. She told me she was ‘at the end of her tether’. She said, “I get no support from the parents on the one hand or the church leadership on the other. I’m piggy in the middle, pulled this way and that. It’s no fun anymore. I’ve run out of ideas and I feel trapped - if I don’t do it, who will?”

Maybe you feel like that right now.

We can all get what the Bible calls ‘weary in doing good’ (Galatians 6:9). It’s not so much that we are tired of ministry but rather that we are tired in ministry.

If that’s where you are at the moment, here are 6 ‘Rs’ to revive your enthusiasm:

1. Return to God

Psalm 118:14 tells us that ‘the Lord is our strength and our song, He has become our salvation’. When we lose perspective for ministry it may be because we have shifted our eyes from the Lord to the problem. Remember Peter’s experience of walking on the water. He was buoyant whilst he looked to Jesus but when he let his mind drift to the impossibility of the situation and the choppiness of the waters, he began to sink.

2. Refresh yourself

When Elijah was weary in ministry God gave him rest and food. You need to ask yourself what fills you up? Is it quiet and solitude, or people? Pamper yourself and spend a little time doing something that refreshes you.

The story is told of Stanley, in the jungle, looking for Livingstone. He had heard that Livingstone had passed through the area the day before and he thought that if he hurried he could catch him up. His African porters were not so keen. They walked all day and all night. But the next morning they refused to budge. They said they needed to wait for their souls to catch up with their bodies!

Sometimes we need to do the same.

3. Re-envision yourself

When you are ready, put yourself in the path of new vision…or simply remind yourself of why you got into it in the first place.

At one Playtime Conference there was a Parent and Toddler Group Leader who had had enough. The week before she had gone to her church leader and said she was resigning. He encouraged her to attend the event anyway. After the conference she returned to him to withdraw her resignation – during the day she had been reminded of why she was leading the group.

Sometimes, if you remember why you got into it in the first place, you will catch a fresh glimpse of your calling.

4. Recruit new leaders

This is always hard, usually because we wait for people to offer and they don’t! Or we make the invitation too broad and open-ended and people are scared to get involved.

One solution is to be more specific when you ask and to put a time-limit on their involvement. Try saying ‘would you come and help with registration this term’ or ‘could you organise a craft for me?’ If we break it down into manageable pieces, people will often be more willing to take them on.

Another important element in building a team is to approach specific people and tell them why you want them in particular on board. How about ‘I admire your skills in talking to people’ or ‘I feel I can rely on you’ or perhaps ‘I know that we will work well together’? Often when people realise you actively want them and not just another body (any body!), they will respond more positively.

5. Round up a support group

Preferably this will be your team, if you have one. If not, find people who will gather around you, support you in prayer and encourage you. Meet with them regularly. Be open and honest. Give them permission to speak into your life.

Get the wider church thinking about and praying for you too. Ask for five minutes at a church or PCC meeting. You can summarise your progress, include an encouraging story and perhaps something to make them laugh too.

6. Remember, sometimes it’s time to leave

Maybe as you have been reading the first five of these points, you have begun to realise that you no longer feel a sense of calling. Maybe you never felt a clear ‘call’ in the first place.

There is only one good reason for getting out; if you sense God saying it’s time to move on. Sometimes this will mean leaving a vacuum. But sometimes it’s only when we walk away that someone else will feel that they can step up and lead. The mark of a good leader is a person who knows when to walk away so that others can take over.

Richard Hardy
 

Last Updated 20 December 2010