When leadership is hard

Leadership is hard. Really hard. And we all need help. Every single last one of us. Every leader needs a leader. Every coach needs a coach. Every mentor needs a mentor. But without finding the right help, burnout and throwing in the towel becomes quite easy. In fact, I believe burnout is only inevitable. According to the Paterson Center, leaders will on average face 4 to 5 major life crisis’ within their leadership tenure. The real question then becomes, when the crisis takes place, how will you respond?

I remember the first time I wanted to quit. It wasn’t even that the situation that I found myself in was too hard, it was just that I could easily imagine 1,000 different life situations that would just be easier. A lot easier. During that season, it became easy to reason away my calling and to justify that I could live on mission doing something different. While it is true that I could take another job without the pressure of leadership, to do so would have been to ignore my calling and ultimately step away from my love of ministry. 

So how do we endure? How do we respond when it becomes hard?

Accept the Pain

Most people that reject pain are the ones who did not expect it. As an endurance athlete, I can tell you first hand that to both know and accept the reality of pain is powerful. When I set out on a 20-mile run, I know that pain is going to set in during the last few miles. The power of knowing and expecting it actually allows me to prepare for it and push through it. Quitting often happens when people are either tired of the pain or tired of dealing with it. We want to escape the pain. Unfortunately, we can’t. Jesus said it would be this way. John quoted Jesus when he told us to expect trouble,  “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  

Long for Jesus 

Relief will come, though not the way we want it to come. When cycling or running 4 to 6 hours at a time, I just know that pain is imminent. It’s a part of the process of endurance. I can’t avoid it, neither can you. What helps me in these moments is knowing that relief is coming. The hot shower is calling my name. The burger is waiting on me. Sleep, oh sleep, is coming soon. Jesus told us that He would bring peace, both now and certainly in eternity. He promised us eternal life, for all those who call on His name (Romans 10:13). Relief is not as quick as we would like it during the course of our days, but relief is coming in eternity.  

Accept the pain and long for Jesus. He has and will fulfill His promise to give us eternal hope!

Sometimes all we need to do is just wake up one more day. Commit to one more moment. Commit to trusting in Jesus for His promises. They will all be fulfilled.

Jason Hodges is the Send Network in New England church planting leader for the North American Mission Board.