Missions life
Missions life can be difficult. Missionaries face a unique blend of emotional strains:
On top of all these, there are the physical strains of:
Each of these stressors makes a deposit in our stress cup. While each deposit may be small, the cumulative total can overwhelm our bodies. We may be spiritually healthy, but our bodies may be running on empty.
We as missionaries have a tendency to try to be super missionaries. We just keep going.
But is this effective in the long game? It is not effective to neglect the things that could enable more years of ministry. There will always be chronic illness and other struggles that God does allow and indeed uses to highlight our weakness and His strength. But at the same time, there are many stressors we face that could be reduced if we take time to rest, exercise, be proactive in our diet & give necessary time to our spouse and children. By reducing the amount of stressors in our stress cup, we cut down on the accumulative effect of stress in our life. This allows us to have more energy for ministry, and if the Lord allows, could add a decade of healthy service to the Lord!
Our challenge to you is this:
View ministry as a marathon, not a sprint.
What is one area could you begin to improve that would allow you to minister better and longer? Once you begin to make progress in that area, tackle another! Find healthy rhythms to life and ministry that allow you to serve the Lord for the long haul.
- Separation from family
- Living cross-culturally
- Learning to work together as a team
- Helping children cope with the struggles that accompany being a 3rd culture kid
- Learning a new language
- Marriage problems that are heightened due to the many stresses we face
- Loneliness
- Heightened security
- Support raising/partnership development
- Compounded loss
- And the list goes on….
On top of all these, there are the physical strains of:
- Travel
- Furlough (the furthest thing from rest ever!)
- Lack of places to exercise well
- Difficulty maintain a good diet due to travel or the inability to buy healthy food,
- Lack of good medical care, etc.
Each of these stressors makes a deposit in our stress cup. While each deposit may be small, the cumulative total can overwhelm our bodies. We may be spiritually healthy, but our bodies may be running on empty.
We as missionaries have a tendency to try to be super missionaries. We just keep going.
But is this effective in the long game? It is not effective to neglect the things that could enable more years of ministry. There will always be chronic illness and other struggles that God does allow and indeed uses to highlight our weakness and His strength. But at the same time, there are many stressors we face that could be reduced if we take time to rest, exercise, be proactive in our diet & give necessary time to our spouse and children. By reducing the amount of stressors in our stress cup, we cut down on the accumulative effect of stress in our life. This allows us to have more energy for ministry, and if the Lord allows, could add a decade of healthy service to the Lord!
Our challenge to you is this:
View ministry as a marathon, not a sprint.
What is one area could you begin to improve that would allow you to minister better and longer? Once you begin to make progress in that area, tackle another! Find healthy rhythms to life and ministry that allow you to serve the Lord for the long haul.
Check out our Resources page for a list of helpful books.