Is Pressure a Positive or Negative Thing in Missionary Life?

“People are feeling pressure.” I hear this from missionaries and leaders sometimes. Or I get an email from someone saying they feel pressurized – especially at the end of the year when reports are due. Others express genuine feelings of being overwhelmed by their work. There are times I feel this too. It’s not a good feeling! Is pressure good or bad in our lives?

Pressure comes from two sources- internal and external.

Below are a few real examples from my own life as a mission leader trying to fulfill God’s calling. They show both a healthy and an unhealthy response.

Situation A – Internal Pressure from Ourselves

I didn’t complete my goals for the year.

Healthy Response: Conviction – says “I realize I didn’t do everything I wanted to do. I want to do better with God’s and others help. I will try again next year.”

Unhealthy Response: Condemnation– says “I should have done better, I’m a real failure. I am going to stop making goals because I’m afraid to fail again.”

Situation B- External Pressure from a Leader

You’ve not made as much progress in your area of responsibility as we had hoped for.

Healthy Response: Humble Learner- I am willing to assess myself. I receive my leader’s input while looking together for solutions on how to improve my work in the future. I may need to be further equipped,trained or resourced in some area to see the results expected of me.

Unhealthy Response: Condemning, Blaming – I condemn myself as lazy and stupid. Self-talk says, “I should work harder.” Or, blaming others and my situation, I justify my inadequacies. “I never get good people on my team. I only have these problem people. That is why our team isn’t seeing the results my leader expects.”

There are many more examples. You could add your own as well.

Is Pressure Bad?

Some say, “Pressure is bad. Get rid of the pressure!” We wallow in fantasies of what life would be like if we quit our missionary work. “I’ve had it with stress!” we think to ourselves.

Giving up may temporarily relieve our discomfort. It doesn’t help us develop as leaders or disciples of Jesus. It won’t help us become the effective, powerful, fruitful people God designed us to be.

Option #1- Held in God’s Loving Embrace

When feeling pressure, we need to learn how to embrace it in healthy ways. Reaching deeply into our relationship with God, we find our core identity in Him. Our Father’s unconditional love supports us in the “crunch times”. We lean into the deep understanding that we are His beloved in whom He is already well pleased.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

Jeremiah 31:3 ESV.

Our performance doesn’t change how God feels about us. It doesn’t affect how much He loves us one sinlge bit! This powerful truth enables us to own our mistakes, weaknesses and even failures. We can look at them honestly and openly. We can admit that we haven’t done what we had hoped, asking God for help as we try again.

Security in Christ’s love allows us to see that we may lack skill in a particular area. It helps us to ask someone more well-trained to mentor and equip us. We stop blaming others for our lack of progress. His love helps us refuse to give up on our God-given assignments.

Option #2- Condemnation, Shoulds and Blaming

Or, we can ignore God’s unconditional love and believe the lies the enemy wants to tell us. We beat ourselves up with condemnation, shoulds, and blaming. In this option, we choose the path of less resistance – quitting. We reduce expectations and let go of our hope in both God and ourselves.

We resign inside, choosing not to have any goals or expectations at all. No more evaluating and tracking what we are doing in light of desired results. Excuses, blaming others (or our circumstances), becomes our pattern when things don’t move forward.

There is no freedom in this path.

A Healthier Way

Pressure doesn’t have to be bad, if we respond to it appropriately. A little pressure causes us to go further than we would without it. But when pressure brings condemnation, judging and blaming ourselves and others, we are in trouble. Eventually this kind of pressure will destroy us.

Are you too hard on yourself? Angry with your lack of progress in things that matter to you and others?

Don’t give up. Run into the comforting arms of your Daddy God who loves you. He will strengthen and encourage you today. Remember, He is already well pleased with you and loves you just because you are His child. Let Him pick you back up and help you. He is longing to do just that.