Are You Weary? Part I

In recent months as I have worked with staff and leadership teams in a variety of contexts, I have used one-word check-ins as a warm-up. For the most part, these groups are highly educated, skilled, and leaning in. They also have all been through an extraordinary amount of change and uncertainty—both in recent months as well as the overall global uncertainty of the past few years.

As we’ve gone around the room, in every setting, almost half of the people in the room contributed words like weary, tired, overwhelmed, overcommitted, and a quarter used other words that could also fit into the “struggling” category: distracted, confused, scattered, frustrated, disconnected.

As we care for our teams, and those individuals on those teams, we need to be aware that people are not doing okay. Part of our job both as leaders of groups as well as members of those groups (we’re all influencers) is to help each other build resilience—not as a forced team-building exercise, but as an ongoing attitude and practice.

Expert Al Siebert defined resilience this way: the process of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences. Resilient people overcome adversity, bounce back from setbacks, and can thrive under extreme, on-going pressure without acting in dysfunctional or harmful ways. The most resilient people recover from traumatic experiences stronger, better, and wiser.[i]

In the context of faith communities, it seems we are always looking for people to “fill slots” in our ministries. Are we pausing long enough in this sometimes desperate search to check in and see how our people are really doing? Are they too busy? Are we willing to generously give them the opportunity to quit something in this season? Are we offering them life-giving opportunities or just “warm body” invitations that don’t feed their souls nor use their God-given gifts effectively? Are we helping them slow down and be present so that they actually can hear what God is saying to them?

In what situations can you help them find what God has called them to do and change your ministry priorities to join the Lord there as well?

Additional Resources:

Inviting People into the Adventure and Growth of Serving

Most People Volunteer Because They Were Asked!

Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been Equipping Ministries Director at her church since 1999.

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© Photo by Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved.              

[i] http://resiliencycenter.com/the-five-levels-of-resiliency/