The Day After

What happens the day after you win the Super Bowl, your hit movie drops, or you finally get the job you always wanted? Spurgeon pointed out that one should not make a decision when depressed, or if you are a pastor, on Mondays. The Monday blues are always most pronounced in the life of a pastor, and I think I understand why. Even Spurgeon, with all his public success, knew the burden of depression.

The Elijah Syndrome

Another way to think about this is the Elijah Syndrome. After a tremendous spiritual success (the Lord’s success) over the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, he goes into an inconsolable funk, feeling alone, abandoned, and unproductive (1 Kings 18:20–40; 19:1–4, 10). It seems counterintuitive until you have had the experience for yourself. There are two major things that cause a person to struggle in this way. It doesn’t just happen to pastors. It happens to the student the week after youth camp; it happens to the church member who goes on a short-term mission trip. This even occurs when a layperson finally gets the chance to stand up and give the sermon or Bible lesson that has been on his heart for years. After any substantial spiritual activity or service, we are vulnerable. There are two reasons. The first is biological, the second is spiritual.

God’s Care for Elijah

Notice how the Lord cared for Elijah. Before the conversation at Horeb, there was sleep, food, and water. Elijah lay down and slept. An angel woke him and told him to eat. He ate, drank, and lay down again. Then the angel returned with another meal because the journey was too great for him (1 Kings 19:5–8). The Lord understood the physical needs of His exhausted servant.

Later, the Lord addressed Elijah’s perspective, gave him further work to do, and reminded him that he was not alone. There were still seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:9–18). The Lord cared for the whole man. His body needed rest and nourishment. His perspective needed the truth. There is something wonderfully reassuring in that order. Sometimes the next faithful step is to eat, sleep, and receive the care of the One we serve.

The Biological Reason

The biological reason is simple: exertion demands rest. Spiritual effort is always physically demanding. Whether a message, a Sunday school lesson, a mission trip, a conference…it all demands tremendous amounts of physical energy. The social experience, the build-up, the planning, the execution. The costs add up and eventually the time comes to pay the bill. If the servant is unaware of this reality, then there are bound to be problems. Very few people come to maturity in understanding experiences, energy levels, and their impact upon emotions. After a big emotional high, a victory, there is a consistent low when one arrives at the other side.

In a tragic example, we could cite the hangover. A person who overindulges in alcohol or drugs experiences an extreme form of pleasure or exhilaration. Then the next day, there is physical pain, sickness, and discomfort as the natural result. Just like drugs, alcohol, exercise, or any other addictive behaviors, spiritual highs can become an experience to chase for personal pleasure, to the destruction of the addicted one. Like a junkie looking for cocaine, the servant is already scheduling the next mission trip, speaking engagement, or sermon. If we are serving the Lord for our own satisfaction…we are not really serving the Lord. The Lord can still use it…but it is not His desire to see His servants fall on their own swords, constantly seeking another thrill of a conversion, message, or award.

The Cost of Sunday

The spiritual experience requires responsive rest (Mark 6:30–32). For a pastor of a small church, Sunday is a day of high demands. Everybody is all together, and the celebration is rich. The music, the message, and the coordination are all there. The average churchgoer has no idea how much is going on to make this meeting work and just sees his pastor and remembers that he wanted to have a 45-minute conversation about something that he saw on TV. It wasn’t important enough to make an appointment to discuss at an appropriate time, but it is so important that if he can’t have the 15 minutes before the start of the service, he will never return. A thousand other things weigh upon the leadership in a small church, and there is little recognition of that. All of this is simply the burden of leadership. There is no solution, just like dealing with sheep problems is part of being a shepherd. The elders just need to count the cost and realize that there is a physical/biological paycheck for that which comes due on Monday morning.

This is why so many vocational pastors take Monday off. It is a good tradition, and it is important that the pastor and his family understand the need for quiet, solitude, exercise, a nap, recreation, and gentle restorative family time. To start the engine up and dive headlong into the next week is a near-suicidal adventure. Lack of rest is the cause of so many pastoral failures. Particularly rest in Christ (Matthew 11:28–30). Which brings us to the next challenge: The Spiritual Challenge.

The Spiritual Challenge

This is the more important issue, but not at the expense of the biological problem. The other reason why the servant of the Lord experiences a major dip after the day of service is the same reason that the celebrity crashes out once they get famous. The celebrity thought becoming rich and famous would come with satisfaction. It doesn’t, and so they fall apart right in the public eye. Likewise, the servant of the Lord who sees service as his identity will forever remain empty and unsatisfied except in the moments that he is actively performing. Thus, there is bound to be a letdown when a person is no longer teaching, pastoring, mentoring, or on mission.

This problem can hit anyone, regardless of good or bad theology. It is an application of theology that rarely gets made. The human soul constantly looks to the world for validation, a track record for success, and activity for identity. A person has a peculiar ability to know the truth, share it willingly with others, and yet never reflect long enough to apply it to the self. This is why private reflection and devotion are essential in the life of the one who is an active servant of the Lord (1 Timothy 4:16).

The Believer’s Identity

The believer is the beloved child of God (1 John 3:1–2). Saved by grace and made a new creature (Ephesians 2:8–10; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Forgiven, redeemed, and included in the Lord’s eternal plan (Ephesians 1:3–14). The believer is called His sheep and remains in the care of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 27–29). Whatever service a believer does, that service is not the core of his identity. Part of the “Monday Blues” is a recognition that this is still twisted in our unspoken belief. It is essential to our sin nature to feel valuable, important, and be praiseworthy. Entire swaths of false theology are hinged upon motivating the believer exclusively by the hope of recognition or reward.

While there is great importance in understanding the biblical doctrine of rewards, the greater motivation is identity (1 Corinthians 3:11–15; 2 Corinthians 5:10, 14–15; 1 John 4:19). The employee is motivated by his pay. Some good work can get done. He may even get a bonus if he does his job well. A son, however, is motivated because this is his family’s business. He will inherit it someday. He may respond well to the rewards that lie ahead, but his dedication to the business is far greater. He doesn’t stay late hoping someone notices so he can get a bonus. He works sacrificially because he is invested in what his father has built and is handing down to him.

People who serve to earn will always work for those who serve from their identity.

A Teacher to Embrace

The Elijah Syndrome, or the Monday Blues, is going to show up, but it is not a challenge to overcome, but a teacher to embrace. It is a chance to pause, reflect, and ask why we did what we did. For ourselves, or for Him? So that we could be loved, or because we are loved? The servant who learns to answer these questions correctly will thrive in ministry. The servant who runs from them is a catastrophe in a can—waiting to be spilled out onto the floor.