Leading Through FatigueSample

Let People Hold You Up

Most leaders experience the pressure to keep it all together. If you lead a youth eGroup, chances are you’ve had to navigate some difficult conversations. Part of the beauty of youth ministry is teenagers sharing their stories with us — but that can also seem like a burden sometimes. Helping someone else carry their emotional weight can feel... heavy. How do you process the challenges of your own life while also helping teenagers process the complexities and pain in their life? It can be a lot to navigate at once. 

The Israelites were no strangers to fighting battles. In Exodus, they were fighting the Amalekites and they were winning... as long as Moses kept his hands up. If you’ve ever held up a sign or banner, you know how quickly this starts to hurt. But Moses had Aaron. When Moses got tired, Aaron held up his arms. Moses didn’t try to do it all on his own — he had help. 

It can be embarrassing to share what you’re struggling with as a leader. It might even feel like an admittance of failure. IT’S NOT. God never wanted you to take on a leadership role by yourself. He’s surrounded you with pastors, church staff, mentors, friends, and other youth leaders. Maybe He even gave you a co-leader! Those people are there to hold your arms up when you get tired. 

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Today, ask God to show you someone you can confide in — someone who will pray for you, pray over you, and hold up your arms when you’re weary. Be brave enough to reach out to them. What if God isn’t calling you to keep it all together, but instead He’s inviting you to lean on Him and a trusted friend?