Burdens of ministry

Being in the social service field is really not easy. Few people would truly understand and be able to empathize our experiences. Sometimes I do feel lonely, going through these struggles, mostly on my own.

1. The complexities and intensities

Imagine always having to be attending and giving to others 5 full days a week - whether it is to people we serve or colleagues. It's tough. Of course I would consider it a privilege to be able to be in the position of serving others, particularly the vulnerable. However, it also takes a great deal of mental and emotional energy - the "101" different thoughts that come to my mind to assess the case, knowing what to ask, when, at which point in time to ask, knowing which statements to best make, the emotions that I have to hold even though I'm being bombarded by so many different kinds of negative emotions a day, the need to be objective and professional. It's like having to multi-task and having multiple brains. It gets worse when one has to constantly be in the position of having to respond to crises.

At the end of the week, one just feels so exhausted and one would feel the need to be attended to, rather than having to attend to people over the weekend again. It's an occupational hazard, a default mode, to always want to be the one in position of having to attend to people. Do it long enough and one will burn out. One really needs to ensure that one can have time for oneself to rest and recharge, especially if one is an introvert.

What I need to learn is to rest, and to also know that I don't need to be attending to people all the time. Just chill, because the Lord is in charge. I can rest because God is in charge and at work. And I need not feel like a failure because I don't work.


2.  The challenges of taking pride in one's work

As a Christian, I struggle with doing social related work. For one thing, I have the perception (I may be wrong) that the church would much prefer one to do evangelism, than to meet material or emotional needs of people. Whenever I share that I do not share the gospel to the people I serve (because of real/valid reasons), people express a sense of pity and disappointment. Or, whenever I share that I don't have as much of a capacity to be in an evangelistic ministry because of my work, I don't get a positive response. It'd be really encouraging if someone in church could encourage me in my social service ministry when I'm struggling with being involved in both.

I know I should not be so caught up with others think, because ultimately all work is for God's glory (even meeting material and emotional needs) and there shouldn't be a distinction between "sacred" work and "secular" work, but I still feel that doing social related work can be quite a lonely calling at times because one may not get same kind of affirmation of the good work from others. I don't blame people for not understanding, perhaps, maybe I'm expecting too much. It's a far ideal for anyone outside this field to really understand.

And then of course, to many people of the rest of the world, social service related work is volunteer work. I shall not go on with regard to this because I'm tired of having to make the distinction.

In spite of all this, I do take pride in my work, I really do. I'd give a lot of myself for this work because I see the needs, and I see how my training helps to meet the needs. I see how I can meet people at their lowest point and encourage them to press on - experiences that I will never get given my socio-economic status. I see how I can show grace and mercy to those who've made mistakes (and maybe are still making mistakes).  For those who feel broken and ashamed of themselves, for me to let them know that they are still valuable in spite of their weaknesses and failings in the way I treat them/see them. I see how I can advocate for people for their basic needs, that their lives may be a little more stable. I see how I can use my training to assess cases better, so that I can help them better, that there might be more order and less chaos in their lives. I see how I can use my counseling skills to help people gain insight to their issues, that they may be enlightened to cope better with life. I see our centre as a "shelter" for those in need, where broken people can meet and experience with broken people made whole by Jesus, who use their hearts and  minds to serve Him.


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Just sharing some of my experiences of social service ministry so far. Maybe I'm still in the process of making sense of these experiences and there are some things I'm still struggling with. My intention is not to blame or put down anyone or any group.