Where do I begin? Where does it end? How did I get involved with that? Why did I say yes? Why can’t I say no? Will it ever end?
Does this sound familiar at all? We are a busy, busy group of people. Sometimes we, talking about my family, don’t know whether we’re coming or going.
So what is burnout? Think of your definition of burnout…
The dictionary defines burnout as:
- The reduction of a fuel or substance to nothing through use or combustion.
- Physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.
There is one other facet of burnout that is not represented by the dictionary definition and it’s spiritual burnout. The term burnout (physiologically speaking) was first coined by a psychotherapist named Herbert Freudenberger.
Some key indicators that you may be approaching burnout are; withdrawal, avoidance, lack of productivity, lack of enthusiasm and even frustration with God.
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Burnout can affect our physical lives in many ways including: depression, anxiety, short tempers, fatigue and insomnia.
Burnout doesn’t just affect our physical lives though; it can and most likely will affect our spiritual lives as well. All too often, burnout in our everyday lives spills over into our spiritual lives and we can become, as mentioned, frustrated with God. Sometimes we even begin to doubt God and the decisions we’ve made. We tend to stop caring as much; we become less involved with the ministries at church. As burnout progresses, we may stop attending services and unfortunately stop studying God’s word. These last two are sometimes the easiest to give up when we’re feeling burned out but they are critical to overcoming burnout.
In 1 Kings 18, God has Elijah call Ahab and 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah to Mount Carmel and shows His AWESOME power. The people of Israel fell to their faces to worship God.
A short time later, in 1 Kings 19:1-4, Elijah finds out Jezebel threatens to kill him and Elijah can’t take it. Elijah has just witnessed God’s awesome power but can’t handle the pressure he’s under and asks God to take his life. God didn’t take Elijah’s life as requested. Instead, God provided strength to Elijah. God was able to provide this strength to Elijah because Elijah never gave up on God. He never turned his back on God and he constantly, throughout his life, inquired of God and relied on God for his needs.
In Mark 6:31 & 32, Jesus instructs His disciples to get into a boat to get away from the crowds and rest. In Galatians 6:9, Paul is finishing his letter to the Galatians and he tells them not to grow weary while doing good. Why? Because if we do, we will reap a reward. And in one of the most comforting passages we have in the New Testament, Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 to go to him if we’re weary with this life.
Our only hope to make it through whatever is affecting us is God. If our only way to make it though is God, then we must reach out to Him. If you are burned out or becoming burned out you will likely have to say “no” to something or someone. Our “no” to someone or something should be that we can step away from the busy schedule and spend our time in prayer to God and reading His word. It’s ok to say “no” for a time but we all have responsibilities as Christians that we can’t ignore. If we spend some of our time in devotion to reading God’s word and in prayer, I bet we’ll find ourselves doing just what Elijah did…serving God.
James Pulley
