The Dreaded Burn Out

When I first got into ministry I had a lot of people tell me "Just be careful you don't burn out!". I heard story after story about pastors that had 'burnt out'. They had too little help or days off or support or money or time in a day. They were drowning in a sea of ministries or projects or people or meetings. They had a hard time coping with the emotional weight of counseling marriages or drug addicts or teenagers or widows. To the point where they just basically threw their hands in the air and said " I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE!"

I was warned about 'the dark side' of ministry.

Fast forward a year. I have a lot on the go. Three different worship environments, an exploding media ministry, setup, take down, ushers, greeters, hosts, sound, drama, website..........I'm busy.

But I remembered the warning, so I researched a little about this thing we call 'burn out'.

The following is a excerpt from HelpGuide.org.

Burnout is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It can occur when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. Burnout reduces your productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly hopeless, powerless, cynical, and resentful. The unhappiness burnout causes can eventually threaten your job, your relationships, and your health.

Signs and symptoms of burnout

The signs of burnout tend to be more mental than physical. They can include feelings of:

Powerlessness Hopelessness Emotional exhaustion Detachment Isolation Irritability

Frustration Being trapped Failure Despair Cynicism Apathy

WOW!

Let's pick apart the signs and symptoms for a moment.

Powerlessness -

Isa 40:29

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Hopelessness-

Rom 15:13

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Exhaustion-

2 Thess 3:5

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ

Detachment-

Rom 8:39

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I could go on but you probably get the point.

Let's try, in the midst of working so hard for Christ, to remember to allow Him to work for us too!

Acts 17:25

and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.