Overworked & Underappreciated
A common theme among clergy is how many hours they put in. It is not uncommon to suggest that most clergy average between 55 and 65 hours a week. Most pastors understood that long hours came with the territory.
The challenge is that some of the most demanding aspects of their work requires that it not be shared with others. That together with the toilsome minutiae that goes on behind the scenes can leave them feeling underappreciated.
TEMPTATION OF PRIVATE INDULGENCE
When you are both exhausted and feeling underappreciated, it is common to look for some small indulgence to comfort yourself. Let me name several personal indulgences that you might find yourself using to reward yourself for a hard day, week, or month of exhausting labor.
- I deserve a hot fudge sundae or two cream-filled DunkinDonuts.
- The days over, a strong Scotch won’t hurt anyone.
- So I blew up, you would too if you had the day I’d had.
- Who knew private conversations with Russian women on the internet could be so stimulating.
- Smoking marijuana helps me relax before I go to bed.
- Wow, you can find some weird things on an Internet search.
- A couple of hours of golf a couple times a week is energizing
You could add to the list. Most of them are not bad in themselves. Yet each of them can become almost addictive and self-destructive. Just multiply any of them by ten and see what will likely be the result.
DESPIRITED PEOPLE OVER INDULGE
The problem is that we can rationalize our use of them, deny that they are harmful to self or others, and not confront the real issue that is before us. Spirit-led people can easily become dispirited and lose touch with the vision of hope that energizes them.
A first step would be to name for yourself the pressures you are experiencing. A second step is to recognize and set parameters on the indulgence you are using. A third step is to acknowledge in prayer your practices for relief, which makes you accountable to the one who calls you.
