With the cost of living crisis, possible recession looming and Covid cases rising it is easy to feel overwhelmed about life in the UK right now. And yet, a period of such difficulty gives us, as the Church, a huge opportunity to reach out to our neighbours.

The latest project our local church is looking to get involved in is Warm Spaces (through Warm Welcome), where community spaces are opening up their doors to those who need a warm place to go this winter. It's a great initiative and a brilliant way to connect with people local to us.

The problem is, as the general public gets hit with more and more struggles, individuals within our churches aren't immune. We are feeling the pressure too – but do we feel church is a safe enough place to be honest about that? The model we see in Acts is of a community looking after one another – no one was in need (Acts 2:42–47). Do we even know who is in need in our own church?

Releasing ourselves from expectations

As a church leader, there can be an expectation to be involved in many initiatives, and to be opening our home up to many. This is something we did for many years. And then...Covid. Since then, with someone in our household struggling with their mental health, it isn't appropriate for us to have a busy home, as it needs to be a quiet, safe space. But that doesn't mean we don't wrestle with guilt and this inner conflict can also be the cause of friction within the home.

Caring for someone in need is exhausting. So it is very easy to feel overwhelmed when we are being asked to reach out to others. It is important that we acknowledge that compassion fatigue is a very real thing within our congregations too, and be careful about the language we use (while still encouraging people to look up and around).

Doing what we are called to do – and no more

I have learned in recent years that I have limitations (obvious I know, but I lived my 20s and 30s in a way that showed I didn't believe that). And I am part of a church family, which means I don't have to answer every call for help. Yes, we are called to sacrificially love those around us. That often means intentionally climbing out of our comfort zones. But that doesn't mean that we have to do everything ourselves.

I am very familiar with the 80/20 rule within churches – that often 20 per cent of a congregation are doing 80 per cent of the work. The ongoing difficulty of recruiting volunteers highlights this. What I am certainly not suggesting here is that the 20 per cent do more. I have learned that I simply cannot take on anything else right now, and the same is true for many of the other busy people I know (that old adage 'if you want something done ask a busy person' isn't great, as often they are the people who don't know how to say no!).

I just wonder: what would our churches and our local communities look like if we all took the time to ask God to open our eyes to what he would have us do, and then looked around us with expectant hearts and willing hands? Jesus himself said he only did what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19) – what if we did that in our own homes, our workplaces and local communities?

Rather than getting involved in every great new initiative and burning ourselves out, following Jesus' example might just mean that we, the Church, would see greater fruitfulness and have a longer-lasting impact on our communities at a time when so many are desperately struggling. After all, we don't want to 'become weary in doing good', because, as Galatians 6:9 promises: 'at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up'.

Claire Musters is a writer, speaker and editor who blogs at clairemusters.com. Her most recent books are Every Day Insights: Disappointment and Loss and Grace-Filled Marriage. The latter was written with her husband, and they have provided a series of free videos to accompany the book, which can be accessed on the Big Church Read website. Claire also writes and edits for Premier Woman Alive and Christianity magazines as well as hosting the Woman Alive Book Club. All of her own books are available to purchase directly from her; for more information and to get in touch with her, do visit her website.