In June I reflected on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model I had been exposed to at the Resilience and Well-being in Ministry intensive at Ridley College in Melbourne in February.[1] I am still reflecting on the relationship between spiritual resources and occupational well-being and how we tend foster spiritual practices in difficult seasons only to let them slip when the difficult season has passed.
While listening to sections of the Old Testament this year I was reminded of what has been referred to as The Cycle of Judges. The book of Judges chronicles the period after the people of Israel have entered the promised land and before having a king. It is a chaotic time and to conclude the author repeats the refrain, ‘in those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit’.[2]
I came across The Cycles of Judges in 2000 when completing a survey of the Old Testament. One scholar has called this a cycle of relapse, retribution, repentance, and rescue.[3] A longitudinal study of Australian religious workers reflects aspects of the cycle: increased job resources are a predictor of decreased spiritual resources.[4] In essence, when we feel we have the resources we need for the demands we face, our spiritual practices can slip. We can slip into self-reliance and self-deception.
Gregg A. Ten Elshof reflects on the nature of self-deception in I Told Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life.[5] Tim Dyer from The Johnmark Extension describes 10 ways we commonly self-deceive and highlights the importance of assistance in developing self-awareness.[6] The Johari Window highlights the place of disclosure and feedback in developing self-awareness.[7] We all need people we can be open with about our challenges and patterns. We all need people who will offer honest and constructive feedback, in truth and love.[8]
Mentoring is a space where a relationship of disclosure and feedback and be fostered, where a mentor can ask a mentoree about the maintenance and development of spiritual practices, where patterns and cycles of self-reliance and self-deception can be explored. Mentoring is a space to grow and be built up, to develop a more accurate picture of oneself, to develop self-awareness.
Ephesians 4 reinforces our need for each other. As we each do our bit the whole body is built up. We all become more mature, more like Christ.[9]
[1] https://www.mentoringnetwork.org.au/2025/06/13/resilience/
[2] Judges 21:25 NIV
[3] https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/learning-judges
[4] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263480536_Spiritual_resources_and_work_engagement_among_religious_workers_A_three-wave_longitudinal_study
[5] https://www.amazon.com.au/Told-Me-So-Self-Deception-Christian/dp/0802864112
[6] https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4t70t8288tyd7v9xikvva/Self-Deception-Arrow-2025.pdf?rlkey=8f6loyze6fvag2nzhxwbclo4x&e=1&dl=0
[7] https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gd0gfs2vht04sotni8pob/Tools-to-develop-self-awareness.pdf?rlkey=ikeicd5ab2lxqp3qv673jz5s7&e=1&dl=0
[8] Ephesians 4:15 NIV
[9] Ephesians 4:14-16 NIV