Burnout: Putting Out The Fire

In actuality, all of us are at one level of burnout or another. We live in a helter-skelter society that pushes us to the brink of physical/emotional collapse almost daily. For those of us in ministry, the issue is magnified. A heart surrendered to Christ for service to fellowman is generally a tender heart. And tender hearts are easily broken. Not to mention that our enemy, the Devil, works daily to defeat the cause of Christ and those of us who serve Christ.

May I suggest five things that will at least improve our chances to hold off (and win daily victories over) burnout. The first is almost too obvious to mention. Develop A Personal Walk With God That Is Second To None. This means that we will spend regular time (quality time?) in his presence. And to be in his presence is to be in his Word; extended time in his Word; meditative time in his Word. To paraphrase a professor from graduate school: read God’s Word, think about his Word, and then think about what you thought! Meditate, reflect, ponder, mull over the precious things about God and his revelation to us. The time in his Word is not only to be extended but expressive. That means verbalizing our thoughts to the Lord. He gave us language so that we can communicate with him (and secondly communicate his truth to others). Verbal expressions to God are normally referred to as prayer: assisted by Holy Spirit and channeled through the Son.

The second step in our battle with burnout is To Develop A Personal Sense Of Balance In Life Activity. Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The problem with people like me who are nearing burnout is that we lack a sense of balance in lives. If you drive your car with the front end out of alignment, will your tires last long? Without balance in life activity, your ministry won’t last long and your life will be shorter. It is not that we are doing too much. It is that we are doing too much of one thing. We need physical rest and refreshment. We need mental breaks to relax the mind and restore the intellectual energy. We need spiritual retreats to get ourselves ready for the onslaught of the Devil’s strategies.

The next point is perhaps my greatest area of failing when it comes to resisting burnout. Develop Growing Personal Relationships (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12). In the text, Solomon is letting us know, that without proper emotional support your cord will snap. God has given us friends. But I have a one-track mind that not only does not multitask well, it does not multitask at all. I focus on sermons, plans, visits, services, pastoral and obligations, then forget my friends. We already have friends, and other friends are to be developed. Unfortunately, workaholics are too busy or too focused on the urgent task at hand. This is always a regrettable mistake. Then, when we desperately need someone to talk to, they are not there, because we didn't spend the time to prepare for days that we never thought would come. There is a time for doing business and there is time for developing friendship.

A friend is one who walks in when everyone else walks out. Friends are what churches should consist of. Every Bible study group or Sunday School class should not just spend time lecturing what the Bible says (critically important to teach Scripture), but also take time for Bible application. Make time for development of close personal friendships. Then we can lean upon each other in the time of crises. Friendship is one of the great gifts of God. Few of us, in the days to come, will ever find great joy in where we lived, or how much we made, but who we knew and who knew us.

The fourth suggestion for holding off burnout will sound like heresy to most of us who were exhorted to burnout for God rather than rust out. Develop Times Of Personal Enjoyment (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20). God has made us to enjoy life, not just to endure it (Proverbs 17:22). We are to enjoy today, not just vacations. Enjoy work, the people you work with, the people you work for, your family, your health, the good earth that God created, and the medicine of laughter.

If you can't do that where you are, get another life! Find a different work! Find people you enjoy working with! Life is too short to be unhappy and thus unproductive for Christ. In life, there are times of great quietness, times of great frivolity, times of great laughter, and times of great tears. If you're going to be unbalanced in any way, laugh more, cry less. Weeping will endure for a season, but God has decreed that joy will come in the morning.

Finally, Offer Your Personal Resignation. Resign today from being CEO of the Universe. Life will go on without you. Even the work of God will be successful without you. We easily arrive at an it-all-depends on me complex. God has others who have not bowed the knee to Baal and others to stand in the gap. Do your part, but it does not all depend on you.

Howard L. Wilburn