The Bible commands Christians to use their gifts in furthering the Kingdom of God. Given the challenges caused by the pandemic, believers must avoid getting spiritually and emotionally burned out to steward their gifts.
Through his article in the CBN News, William Vanderbloemen, founder of a Christian human resource firm, has identified three factors in which people may have had to face emotional and spiritual battles for the past months due to the pandemic.
First is dealing with new staff. The pandemic has compelled companies to reorganize in a bid to stay afloat, causing employees to handle more responsibilities than they used to have. But as the world gradually emerges from this challenge, some of these staff may have decided to leave because of burnout and exhaustion, forcing organizations to hire replacements.
This change in the workforce is the pandemic's usual effect in businesses and organizations. Vanderbloemen called this phenomenon "The Great COVID Job Churn." Adjustment with new people is challenging for all employees since everyone tackles with their own habits, priorities and beliefs. In this manner, working with others in the workplace requires emotional and spiritual work.
Next is handling the new systems. The pandemic has obliged most companies to shift into remote work arrangement and as the situation eases, some employees have returned to in-person work or adopted a hybrid of both. Learning the new processes has been exhausting emotionally and mentally, given the amount of work needed to familiarize with.
Finally, taking on new job description. The pandemic has caused most people to either be given more responsibilities due to reorganization, or getting entirely new jobs leading to have different job descriptions. With these changes, people are made to do work in a manner that they have never done before with new people and goals, taking a toll on their mental health and capacity to do good work.
The three factors have caused individuals to be more "mentally engaged and invested" in their work during the pandemic than they used to do. There had been too little time for rest since a huge amount of work was needed to adapt with the changes and everyone had to exert 120% of their efforts in order to fulfill their respective responsibilities.
But after months of dealing with these changes, Vanderbloemen warned that continuing to invest time and energy for work is critical for the employees, citing the principle of the Parable of the Talents. The parable states that there is time for spending, as well as investing. This season, it is necessary for workers to use their time in nurturing their mental and spiritual health for the sake of their "personal ministry's longevity" and the organization's wellness.
"The Fall will bring a new wave of activity that will demand your attention. Prepare for that time by using this summer to rest and invest in your spiritual and emotional health," the founder concluded.
Vanderbloemen is the CEO of Vanderbloemen, a "premier church staffing and Christian executive search firm."
