“Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.” (Romans 12:11-13 The Message Bible)
Beware! Nobody is exempt from burnout. Burnout is defined by Psychology Today as follows. “Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, it can also appear in other areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or romantic relationships.” Let me expand on the definition to add that people can experience burnout in regard to church and church work.
Is there a real remedy for burnout? Yes, there is! As a matter of fact, there is a remedy for our everyday life burnout and a remedy for burnout in regard to eternal life.
Let’s deal with real life, which always includes your spiritual life and your church life. Let’s do that first. Don’t retreat to a cave like Elijah did in the Old Testament, prompting God to ask, “What are you doing here?” Don’t revel in self-pity which is easy to do. Don’ retire from the work that the Lord has blessed you do and return to the world, ignoring the fact that you have been set apart to serve and/or save humanity in some form or fashion. No, don’t retire, reach forward and resume the race. Don’t rest on your laurels thinking you have achieved it all, press on like the Apostle Paul. Those are some “don’ts,” right? What about things to do? Well, here are a few, taken from the verse above. Keep fueled by being fed from the word, keep the flame of fire, that passion you had at first ablaze. You have a God-given purpose, so fulfill it at all costs. Pessimism will attack you, but you keep performing, being expectant of great things, better things yet to come, and the best of days ahead. Stay optimistic. Remember, your labor is not in vain. Depend on the Lord to make it through hard times. As the verse says verbatim, “pray all the harder.” Continue to serve. Be inventive and innovative so that you don’t keep using the same methodology or ways to perform your work. Here is one not in the verse, but God the Father and God the Son would agree with me, “Take some rest at times.” Be cautious though, because “rest” is not synonymous with “retirement” or “retreating completely.” Furthermore, “sabbatical” does not me slowly sneaking out of serving. One more remedy for burnout, applicable in any area of life: “Ask the Savior to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you. Jesus is willing to aid you and Jesus will carry you through.” Now just don’t think of the song lyrics but think of te Lord’s teachings. His tried-and-true examples will be of great value in beating burnout.
As it relates to a remedy for burnout in regard to eternal life, read the Scriptures I have provided in the closing verse. They will help you escape burnout in the ultimate sense, and they will validate your hope for a brighter day ahead. Love you! As a postscript, ask your smart device to play, “I Feel Like Going On.” Be blessed!
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.me.” (Romans 6:23 NLT) “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9 NLT)
Mark L. King