And here is where personal experience comes into play.
First, a little bit about my volunteering adventures.
Years ago, I was heavily volunteering for a church, racking up so many hours that it necessitated me being given my own set of keys to the building. I was given the alarm code. Often, I was the first one in the building, before any pastoral staff arrived.
I was not on staff. I was “a volunteer.”
But, sometimes, quips and jokes were made about how I might as well be on staff, about how I had a “servant’s heart,” and that I had “a good work ethic.” I would sometimes volunteer, for up to twelve hours a day, four to five days a week.
Was I “freely giving?”
Was I “worth my hire?”
Only The Most High can accurately assess that.
But I was a regular part of the machine. And as part of that machine, I bumped into fellow volunteers.
One stands out for me. She was a mother figure to me. I deeply loved her. She passed away a few years ago.
Let’s call her “Miriam.”
Miriam volunteered mostly within the kitchen. She spent hours cooking, prepping, and serving in the lunch line.
She was a staple. And she was heavily relied upon as that staple.
Certain pastors, unaware of what it took to efficiently work and run the kitchen, unfortunately often placed “last minute,” requests/demands (depending upon how you look at it), adding additional stress and pressure to her workload. Her unpaid workload.
I remember the tension on her face as she tried to accommodate requests, manage unpredictable pastors, all while trying to smile and “be a servant.”
It was challenging.
Miriam was “freely giving.” She was.
Miriam was also “overserving.”
I could see the strain. In my own ways, fielding requests, demands, personalities, and emergencies of all kinds, I felt it myself.
“Volunteering,” unfortunately, is not immune from exploitation.
It’s not always a case of being intentional.
It’s more of a case of taking for granted the “freely given” nature of those who are serving, unpaid.
They are often invisible. In fact, their presence may not be fully known or felt until it is theirabsence, and the absence of their work, that is missing.
But yes, harm, often comes to those who “freely give.”
Harm come to those who do “unpaid labor.”
“Oppressed and Crying Out?”
“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the LORD, and it be sin to you.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15
It can be a painful and difficult situation, especially for those who possess the “servant’s heart.”
They have a love of The Most High. They have a devotion to Our Savior (Colossians 3:23).
“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28
They have a sense of stewardship and connection towards people.
They often do not complain. They endure.
Therefore, Deuteronomy 24:14-15 is the validation, the instruction, and the helpful consoling reminder we need.
Never underestimate the power of the oppressed cries.
He hears. He sees. He knows. He has the most accurate assessment of what is going on.
And He pays attention to every heart, and every heart cry.
“…a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.”
Psalm 51:17
What Can Be Done (Servant Coping)?
Scripture has much to say about persecution, hardship, and “doing good.”
“Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them].”
Romans 12:14
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 5:44
“But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Luke 6:27-28
“We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it.”
1 Corinthians 4:12
It is not restricted to our most terrifying enemies.
It applies to any stressful, perhaps, unjust, and overwhelming situation.
And yes, that can apply to “Volunteering.”
To the experience, known as “Overserved.”
Again, He Knows. He knows.
He sees and hears all.
No cry gets past Him.
And then, there comes a point…
“That each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”
1 Thessalonians 4:4
Sometimes, life dictates a change, a cessation.
For me, some of that involved experiencing a cancer diagnosis. It confronted my need to be more aware of my health, not just my physical health.
Emotional. Mental. Spiritual.
We each have different capacities, especially as life circumstances change.
If anything, even something as noble as service to The Most High, is taking from us, far more than it is replenishing, we need to pay attention to that.
We have mortal bodies. Our mental and emotional states can only take so much.
Our spiritual health is just as, if not more important.
Spiritual depletion affects everything else in our lives.
We must “guard our hearts.”
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Proverbs 4:23
We are called to steward our vessels: our lives.
It is not helpful to anyone if we expire.
We are too valuable to Him.
Consolation and Reward?
“…‘Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded… And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.’”
Jeremiah 31:16
Wherever we are, whatever situation, especially that of volunteering and serving Him, our work is not in vain.
He keeps the most thorough books. He knows and sees all of the behind the scenes, silent, unnoticed, unsung stuff.
He sees the early mornings, the late nights, the long hours, the sleep deprivation, the sacrifices, the conflicts, the stress.
He sees the burdens we carry that we tell no one, not even Him, in prayer, about.
He knows. And He will reward you and I, even if no one else does.
You matter.
You matter more than you realize.
Please be overserved with THAT Truth!
ABBA-
We come to You, in The Mighty Name of Your Son, Yahshua.
You know.
You see.
You hear.
You understand all that we are trying to do right now.
You know that we feel taken for granted, overlooked, stressed, not compensated or rewarded for the time, work, effort, and the heart that we have put into trying to love, serve You, and do Your Will effectively.
We are tired; You know that we are tired.
You respond.
Thank You for that. Show us what that response looks like, even now.
Forgive us for harboring any bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness, especially concerning those around us who appear to be an enemy or an oppressor to our situations.
Your help, Your love, and Your Intervention are what we need right now.
Show up with Who You are in more powerful ways than we are accustomed to seeing.
Thank You, that, by faith, we know that You hear and answer our prayer.
We receive it all, in The Mighty Name of Yahshua.
Amen.
Copyright © 2026 by Sheryle Cruse
