.Christian teachers aren’t immune to the pitfalls of tiredness. We asked some teachers what were the main struggles for them and how they seek to keep going!
Fellowship: it can be easy to feel too tired to meet up with Christian friends or to commit to church in the busyness of term. It’s also possible to slip into the mentality that you’re busier than others and to feel like you’re not understood or supported well. Maintaining a few close Christian friendships during term time, however, can be a lifeline. Church Holiday Bible Clubs or summer camps can also be a great way to get to know other Christians if it’s difficult to do so during term time.
Godliness: whether it’s losing patience with the pupils, lacking in self-control, gossiping, complaining or contributing to the staff room negativity, it’s so easy to fall into bad habits! Anxiety, frustration or guilt can cause you to turn to escapism, such as binge-watching Netflix, or other unhelpful copying strategies. Instead of just trying to ‘do better’, try to look to the Lord who is relentlessly kind and compassionate. The Lord Jesus is able to love, sympathize and help us no matter how much we’ve messed up.
Faith: needless to say, our relationship with the Lord can suffer when we’re tired. Our joy in him can grow dim and the things we’re worried about can loom much larger in our lives. Let’s not set ourselves spiritual standards that are crushing instead of refreshing: we might not have half an hour to spend with the Lord each day, but just a few minutes can do wonders; we might feel distracted, stressed and weak, but let’s start there with our prayers; we might feel like ‘smoldering wicks’ but the Lord will never snuff us out. Let’s keep coming to him, knowing he will always welcome us back.
This article was first published in e-TNV in March 2023.
