Avoid Burnout

1 Kings 19: 4-6

...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

I ran across an article on Entrepreneur.com that gives readers several trips on "how to avoid occupational burnout", and I thought how interesting it is that entrepreneurs are battling with many similarities as do Christian servant-leaders who are working for the Kingdom. Most of those working for the Kingdom are bi-vocational workers who volunteer their time and services at church. So after working 9 to 12 hour days in the office, some head over to the church the same evening or at least once or twice later in the week and press to potentially burning themselves out.

The article suggests that the "entrepreneur spirit", although it is good, is one that has the potential of turning into an obsession. I won't necessarily call our love for Christ an obsession, but it becomes a thin line when our passion and our drive for what we do for the church has nothing to do with Christ. I've witnessed over time how some saints who love worship so much become worshipers who nothing but worship worship and not God. The same also applies to the various ministries that they participate in. It is all about that ministry and not the entire Body of Christ, or close to any understanding about working together for the Kingdom.

Nevertheless, there are signs that help us all determine whether or not we are heading for burnout. According to the article, the Entrepreneur may contend with canceling social events to spend more time at the office, they rarely take vacations, and they spend more time answering the cell or emails for work when they are off duty. Now for the saints, as much as we can't get enough of being at church or in fellowship with other saints, there are signs that we too are headed for burnout. And many saints battle guilt of not being able to serve in the church or they are dealing with the guilt by not meeting the needs at home because they have been at the church all week.

The article tells entrepreneurs to set priorities, delegate, take on new and exciting projects, and to keep learning. However, for the saints and you "Kingdompreneurs"as I call it... the remedy is not that difficult. Although I agree with setting priorities, delegating, and being open to what's new and fresh with an open mind so you won't get stressed and worried about why things are not the same... avoiding burnout in the Kingdom requires one thing, spending more time with God. Whether it is reading His Word, sitting still, or in prayer spending time with God will keep us from burning out.

Spending time with God helps us avoid burnout, but the signs of reaching burnout are simple. A clear indication that a saint is out of fellowship with God is when they are short with you, irritable quite often, easily tempered when asked to do anything, and they consistently mummer and complain about the changes that are occurring around them. Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, struggled with burnout, but God taught him how important it was to step back for a minute, get into His presence, let Him minister to you, and then get back in to action.

One simple remedy for avoiding burnout in the Kingdom and in the business world is to stop depending on our own strength. Trying to doing things absent of the presence and power of Christ will lead us straight to burnout. Spend as much time as you can sitting with the Lord, studying His Word, and allowing time for Him to minister to you by availing yourself to His correction and cleansing (1 Jn 1:9). Even if you have falling prey to burnout, it is never too late to bounce back! For the Lord says to us that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we shall be filled (Mt 5:6)!

This is done by shutting out the world, turning the television and radio off, put the cell on silent and the laptop on stand-by, and find a nice quiet spot to be by yourself so you can spend the time in His presence. You may not feel anything while there or you may not understand what you are reading and studying, but trust me... He uses what little time we give Him to prepare us for tasks that lie ahead.

Take better care of yourselves and those around you by taking time to see about God.