DON’T LET IT GET THAT FAR!

 

One of the leading causes for Christian service declining in the church is burnout. Anyone who has experienced burnout knows it is not something he ever wants to experience again. Burnout is commonly described as an exhausted state in which a person loses interest in a particular activity and even in life in general. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, social, and spiritual exhaustion. It can lead to diminished health, social withdrawal, depression, and a spiritual malaise (sickness, illness, disorder, malady). Many times, burnout is the result of an extended period of exertion at a particular task (generally with no obvious payoff or end in sight) or the carrying of too many burdens (such as borne by those in the helping professions or those in positions of authority, among others). Unfortunately, burnout can also be common among those in vocational Christian ministry and those highly involved in their churches. In these cases people sometimes feel compelled to serve the god of productivity and works. Burnout can happen anywhere. It is the result of overwhelming demands or responsibilities, either placed on us by others or on ourselves, that we simply cannot bear.

 

Allow me state my convictions about burnout upfront:

 

• There is nothing spiritual about burnout.
   

Burnout doesn’t make a person any more spiritual than having athlete’s feet making a person an athlete.

 

Burnout is often the result of self-reliance. The self-reliant take upon themselves the role of savior rather than trusting God to accomplish His own will. They begin to see every need as their call, rather than asking for God's wisdom and direction. This can play out in a ministry setting when a pastor attempts to do the work of the entire Body of Christ. I was guilty of attempting to do everything in my first pastorate. Why? Because, at the time, I didn’t trust anyone to get it done like me. BIG FAT MISTAKE! Moses would have burned out, but for the wise counsel of his father-in-law, Jethro. The story is found in Exodus 18:14-23. Moses thought he was doing the will of God by sitting as judge and hearing the people's cases. However, Jethro rightly recognized that this was not a job for one man to handle alone. To avoid burnout, Moses had to accept that not every need was meant to be filled by him. God charged Moses with leadership, not with performing every duty. Jethro advised Moses to delegate the task of judging the nation to other trustworthy men. That way, the people were provided justice, others had an opportunity to participate in God's plan, and Moses' need for personal care was met.

 

Another cause of burnout is a lack of self-care. Those who do not take care of themselves fail to understand how much God values them. They fail to accept His rest and His love for them, instead martyring themselves on the altar of pleasing others. They may sacrifice sleep, nourish their bodies poorly, over-extend their schedules, or neglect their needs in other ways. Whether it's a lack of self-care or an insistence on self-reliance, burnout stems from a lack of understanding of the character of God and His expectations for our lives.

 

• Burnout is preventable
   
  Here is the best advice I’ve ever received from a friend of mine when I was experiencing burnout from trying to do everything to keep the church running….STOP IT! What great advice this was to and for me…. Just STOP IT! Here are a few suggestions for a person to follow if you’d like and this is what I have done and continue to do to keep from burning out.
   

• Learn to say “NO” or “I can’t do that right now”: We can’t do everything and everything is not meant for us to do. We can’t be everywhere and everywhere is not everywhere we need to be. If you are ministry leader in the church in any capacity ask for help to get it done. I will admit I’m getting better at asking for help. You don’t know who will help if you don’t ask them to help.

 

• Relax: A good start to recover from burnout or prevent burnout is really a simple one: Get Somewhere And Sit Down! Have you ever had a good day of worship and the day was exhausting? So, you get home to calm down from the day but right before you lay your head on your pillow you get a stupid text, phone call, email, inbox, or post that throws you into frenzy. Here’s what I do after a good day of worship and when I’m feeling exhausted… I put my phone on silent in the other room so I can’t see nor hear it go off. The point is to relax. Unless Jesus has showed up, that issue can be handled tomorrow. Take long bath, shower, read a book, have a relaxing conversation with your spouse, listening to music (for me it’s Jazz), play a crossword puzzle, play Atari (Old School game box) with your kids, play dominoes, cook a decent meal. Notice, I left out TV on purpose. Do something that relaxes you.
   
• Seek godly counsel: I left out prayer, fasting, and reading the Bible out of the above suggestion on purpose to place here in seeking godly counsel. There are times when you need to speak to someone that can help walk you through this important issue. The Bible has much to say about perseverance in Christian ministry service and the Holy Spirit knows how to interpret Scripture for you to understand what needs to be done to prevent giving up too soon. Look back over your sermon and bible study notes, trust there is help there. Speak with your pastor, mentor, or spouse. I thank God that some of my counsel has come from my boss over the years that told me to go home and rest for the day. You look tired. And here’s the testimony, they were not saved. Take it how you want but it was good advice for me when I needed to rest.  

 

Thirdly and finally,

 

• You can rest for the next task(s) when your focus is right.

 

 Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28–30). The ultimate solution for those currently experiencing burnout is to find refreshment in Christ.

 

We recover from burnout by entering God's rest. We avoid burnout the next time by staying in tune with God's specific direction for our lives. That means we consult Him about our schedules, we take time to care for ourselves, and we learn to depend on His strength to carry out our duties. Our identity is not drawn from the tasks we accomplish but from our relationship with Jesus. We do the work He calls us to, and we do it with all our hearts, but we do not go beyond the limits He has set. We accept help from others because God has called us to community. We accept His rest because it is the gracious gift of a loving and wise Father. God is more interested in our relationship with Him than He is in our work (Hosea 6:6).

 

There is nothing spiritual about "burning out for Jesus”.