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Ministry Blah
What can you do when you're discouraged about your God-inspired service?
By Cory Whitehead
Do you ever get a case of "ministry blah"? Never heard of this nasty sickness? I define the "blah" as "a consistent discouragement with your place of service—often accompanied by repetitive complaining." It can be further defined as "feeling like your ministry is useless, that you're not supported, and that no one else cares."
Unfortunately, my immune system isn't always strong enough to fight against this. Sometimes I think I've shaken it, and the next week it hits me again. I think I've won the battle, and soon I've lost all my energy for ministry.
I know that I'm not alone. A friend recently requested, "Please pray for me and my ministry. Satan is attacking me, and I feel like I've lost my purpose." I see people with the symptoms weekly. I hear the complaining. Obviously, the Devil loves to see us struggling through this "blah." He celebrates when we give up on our ministry. He wins when we quit.
It's likely I'll come down with this nagging illness again soon, and no doubt you will battle it, too. I have some ideas that we can use to combat the "blah" when we're infected.
Remember Your Original Passion
What's your story? Was there a time in your ministry when God worked something out and put you in the right place at the right time with the right people? Do you remember proclaiming "this is where I'm called to be" or "this is where God wants me to serve"?
A few years ago, God led me to start a ministry to at-risk elementary students. I received this passion from the Holy Spirit. God brought others with the same passion to join me. He opened doors. I was the first to give God the credit during those initial first few months.
1 Peter 4:19 says, "So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." When the "blah" brings suffering in the form of discouragement, remember your original passion and that will help you dig in a little deeper. Jog your memory of the early days and the calling you felt. Remember your personal story with God and how he brought you to where you are now.
Talk About It
I recently had a case of the "blah" with the outreach to students. The program was on a break for the summer, and I was enjoying it—maybe a little too much. I let my guard down, and it was easy to want my selfish life back. I liked having my Tuesday nights open. And I liked the weeks where I didn't have to recruit, train, and encourage leaders. I didn't have any reason to keep up the administrative tasks, to strategically plan, or develop relationships with the students and families. I could quit!
It wasn't long before I was telling my friends what I was feeling. Thank God that those same friends reminded me that my life wasn't all about me. They reminded me that this ministry was my gift to God. It was a way I could worship and glorify him. God has a funny way of working, and our friends are sometimes the vitamins we need to get spiritually healthy again.
Fast Until There Is Healing
During the summer, I was burnt out. A new position at work meant increased responsibility and longer hours. The stresses of my life were mounting. Then a long-awaited vacation came. For a week I laid on a sunny beach in Florida, praying, relaxing, and determined not to let life overwhelm me.
That determination lasted a couple weeks.
I've found that when I have the "ministry blah," it's often because I'm not staying well-connected with God. Spiritual disciplines, like prayer and Bible reading, fall by the wayside, and slowly, often without recognizing the symptoms for what they are, I'm bombarded with feelings of discouragement, incompetence, and carelessness.
Remedies differ for different Christians, but fasting is a key component that leads me to healing. For me, it's usually one meal a week. Instead of eating that meal, I drive to a nearby park, take a walk, and talk to God about my attitude. Typically, I leave with a realization that it wasn't my passion toward ministry that was wavering, but my disconnect and disregard for God during that period of time.
Set a Goal
Sometimes God shuts down a ministry or moves us to a different area of service. I've experienced times when I felt God wanted to give me a break and build me up for the season ahead.
For this reason, it's not always simple to tell if you're sick with the "blah" or if you just need to change your ministry diet. Besides connecting with God regularly, I often set a goal for myself in regard to the ministry.
I had a rough year with my ministry to at-risk students. At one point, we found that some of our resources were stolen. Kids were inconsistent in their attendance. Volunteers were not stepping up in line with my expectations and began to skip weeks with greater frequency. I began to feel certain that for us to have an effective ministry, we needed a minimum of 15 volunteers. That number started entering my mind quite often when I thought about the program.
I can't say for sure that this is a God-ordained number or that it represents the life or death of the ministry, but it's become my goal for the ministry going forward. "Lord, this ministry reaches more families when we have more volunteers. I feel like this was a ministry you laid on my heart to launch. I sense that with 15 volunteers we can start making a real impact, and that's a very realistic number. Please bring 15 volunteers to us before we begin again in the fall." That is my prayer, and that is my goal.
Stay Faithful
"Ministry blah" is part of spiritual life. You're not a worse Christian because you have it. You're not wasting your time in your ministry. You're not useless. Actually, the fact that you are in ministry says something important about you. You've stepped out of the boat. You've stepped into a life of service, and that pleases God.
At times when I want to quit, I realize that I have to fight it off. Satan doesn't want us serving God, so he'll do everything that he can to discourage us.
Nehemiah had plenty of opposition when he answered the call to lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall. Sanballat and others ridiculed and threatened the Jews and their service. Nehemiah 4:11 records that they taunted, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to their work." But the servants didn't lose faith. They didn't give up. They persevered in the task that God had called them to.
Let's fight the "blah" and persevere in the task that God has called us to.
Cory Whitehead works in new product development at Christianity Today International.
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