Compassion Fatigue
Published 11:05 am Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Photos Contributed/Michael Klaus
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By Michael Klaus, Sr. Minister
First Christian Church
The term compassion fatigue may not be familiar to everyone, but it describes the weariness that can set in for those who regularly face others’ trauma. This often affects people whose work or ministry requires them to confront stress, sadness, and suffering – such as EMTs, ER doctors, or crisis counselors. During natural disasters, like floods, we also see this in volunteers and workers who witness devastation, loss, and broken lives day after day.
Here in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, we will be dealing with recovery, cleanup, and the aftermath of loss for many months to come. The debris continues to pile up, and so does the anxiety over what has been lost – forests, rivers, towns, and lives forever changed. The cumulative effect can be overwhelming; some may call it “burnout,” but it is our compassion that can wane as we face constant needs.
I want to encourage all the people of faith who are working tirelessly with this passage of Scripture: “Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:3
Fatigue will come, but as Isaiah says, may your strength be renewed as you wait on the Lord, who will give you strength like an eagle taking off into the wind. Your back may ache, your knees may feel like they’re about to give out, and your boots may be soaked and muddy, but let your compassion continue. For those in the hollers, on the creek banks, and in the midst of the mountains, be a source of relief as they see you – and the Lord you represent – step onto their land and say, “Can I help?”
They will respond, “I’m so glad you’re here!”
