Navigating Burnout in Serving
For the past couple of months or so, I must confess I’ve been in a rocky place, spiritually speaking.
Without getting too deep into it, I’ve been dealing with a major transition in my life circumstances that’s left me feeling adrift - stuck in that space between where I came from, and where I’m going, whatever that place is. When I look around, all I see is a dark ocean of uncertainty. All I can do is keep swimming, but I can’t keep swimming forever, can I?
Dealing with my situation has been emotionally taxing, and so I find myself in the midst of burnout.
If we were to define burnout, a quick search on the Internet gives us this: “A state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive or prolonged stress… characterized by feelings of exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.”
We’ve all been there, of course. Maybe for some of us, this definition hits close to home.
For myself, the liminal space I currently navigate has demanded all my attention and energy, leaving little left for anything else, including serving. I love serving at my church, and I’d do anything to keep serving. But as much as I tell myself and others that I can keep going, I’ll eventually meet my limits.
For people like us who are serving, and the fuel tank is running low, so to speak, the most obvious thing to do is to step back from serving - to take a break and do what we need to do to get back on our feet. But I know that sometimes it’s not so simple, and stepping away even to take a short break is a big decision that must not be made so hastily.
In the interim, if you find yourself teetering towards burnout, allow me to share a few things.
Firstly, recognize you’re starting to burnout. For myself, they often manifest in the form of a snarky, sarcastic attitude, and often a lingering sense of hopelessness. I like to think of myself as a positive person, but when I get stressed, I’ll often drop disparaging remarks, making others think, “Woah, where did that come from?”
Secondly, have compassion for yourself! Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that are not of our own making, and that demand we make moves that far exceed our capabilities. Recognize it’s not your fault, and that it’s okay to be dumbfounded. And if they are of your own making, then have compassion for yourself all the more, because no one is perfect, and no one should bear the burden of perfection.
Consider what the Lord God did, when Elijah asked to die as he fled from the wrath of Jezebel. He didn’t berate Elijah, sigh disappointedly, or passive-aggressively push him to continue his ministry. He gave him food and sleep, because he knew how tired Elijah was. According to the Bible, Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights on the strength of that food. That must have been a lot of calories for Elijah, a real hearty meal! Know that it is the Lord’s will to provide for you in such a way.
Third, even if we cannot go away from our serving entirely, find moments during the day to be with God. During a season when I was serving our youth ministry, I sometimes excused myself from service to seek the Lord by myself and pray. It may seem like an inexcusable thing, but I never condemned myself for it, because my heart was heavy and in need of healing. And no matter who we are, the Father’s house is a place for all to find their rest. Even Jesus needed to retreat on his own to seek God and recover his strength.
Lastly, consider a shift in perspective. If you find yourself overwhelmed with negative thoughts and you begin to dread the act of serving, separate yourself from those feelings. Recognize that in your tiredness, parts of yourself will start to protest against what you want to do - the Apostle Paul calls this the flesh. When you get up in the morning, instead of thinking about the toil up ahead, think of your serving as a privilege, as something you get to do, rather than something you’re forced to do. Then the burden gets a little easier to carry.
Burnout is something we all face at some point, and it’s nothing to simply dismiss and carry on like it’s nothing. There was a time when I ignored the massive pit in my stomach and powered through my serving, which seemed impressive at the time. But in retrospect it was counter-intuitive to what the Lord was trying to do through me, and in me. We were never meant to do this on our own strength, so let’s lean on the Lord when we face something that’s too strong for us to handle.
