In the prior two posts, I wrote on some struggles of both men and women. Today, I will once again write on a struggle that men face: work. As you read that last sentence, you are wondering about work. “Yeah, just shut up and work!” “Today’s young people don’t work like we used to.” You may have said or heard these statements. Let’s unpack the struggle of work that man are ACTUALLY facing—a balancing act.
Work is a different beast for all men. Some men go to jobs that they enjoy and some men go to jobs that they hate. Some men make a great salary and some do not. The idea of work has changed drastically over the years, especially since I started working as a teenager. Technology has changed how we work, how much we work, and where we work. While we can celebrate all that technology has done for our jobs, we need to look at what it has done to the working man: erosion of the heart.
Look around your homes, churches, and workplaces. Most men are bored, over-stressed, ticked off, or falling asleep. Men are twice as likely as women to have a heart attack. Why? We are out of alignment. We struggle between providing for the family and answering to The Man. Technology has now made us always available. There is no longer a clear line between work and non-work hours in many jobs. If you are in management or work non-traditional hours (cough-cough, umm…pastors) then you know the struggle.
Here are some ideas to help men and (those that want to support men) in the balancing act of work and life.
- Don’t be like everyone else. This is boring and unrealistic. As a pastor, I work with many colleagues. What works for one pastor may not work for another. There are all types of variables: budget, staff, support from local church, stage in life, etc. I know some pastors who rarely take off work and some that are structured with their PTO. Find what works for you.
- Please stop comparing generations of workers in their work ethic. This is an invalid argument. We all know people who were slackers in their jobs–regardless of their generation. We also know hard-workers! When we puff up our chest like “our generation” was the best and hardest-working, then we look nothing more than the village idiot.
- Get a life! Find a hobby that you enjoy that is not work-related. If your only life is work than you have no life. Get outside and take a walk. Spend time with your loved ones. And spend less time trolling online.
- Wholeheartedly support a guy. Men suffer more heart attacks than women because we are not as likely to process with others what is stressing us out. We bottle everything up until we explode or become passive. If you want to support a man, listen to him. Don’t try to fix him. You aren’t Jesus. Be present and be consistent.
Java and Jesus 