Are you feeling burnt out?
Before I became a christian, I was what you would consider a "perfectionist".
I felt like I had to achieve excellence in every single thing that I did. I would work harder than needed, wake up earlier than needed, serve in more ministries than needed and ultimately it led to complete total burn out.
People who live like this are destined to crash and burn.
When we actually live by the word of God, then we should feel the complete opposite of burn out because His "yoke is easy and burden is light" - Matthew 11:28
Are you resting in God’s strength? Or are you taking on more responsibilities than you’re meant to carry and are burning out because of it?
Symptoms of burn out:
chronic fatigue
feeling angry at those making demands
loss of joy in serving Christ
increased irritability
depression
can't focus as well or finish things
feeling like you're always giving but not receiving
other people having concerns about you
They're so many reasons why people burn out. It could be because of wrong priorities, wrong motives or wrong ways of serving God.
For instance, I was burnt out because I had the wrong motives. I wanted to work work work and took on more tasks that I could have handled. I would be on 4 hours of sleep and the next day working at 5 am. I would take on too many responsibilities at church because I wanted to please my leaders and do everything required of me. I did this for a whole year to the point where I was barely sleeping, not taking care of myself and losing my fire for God. I was just unmotivated and always irritable.
I know so many people can relate to this or have been in this place before and that's why I want to be so real about this topic because It really is so dangerous to ourselves and will affect our relationship with God and everyone close to us.
Yes, work is important and in fact- it was established since the beginning. We see this in Genesis 2:15 "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it".
Work has always been apart of Gods plan for humanity. However, He never said to work so hard where you completely burn out.
He actually rested Himself on the seventh day of creation.
Here are tools to avoid burn out:
We must be yield our lives to God in everything that we do. We can't do it on our own strength or take all the load on our own. The word "yoke" in Matt. 11:28 refers to a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals such as ovens, so that the animals can share the work load. So in other words, Jesus wants us to share our work load with Him and do it with Him by our side.
Accept help from others because God has called us to community.
Get adequate rest! There are seasons of labor and seasons of rest. God is more interested in our hearts and our relationship with Him vs all the work we do.
Separate your tasks by what's necessary and voluntary. For example, if you're a mother- you know you have to protect, nurture and feed your child. That is just automatically required. However, if your friends calls you to grab a bite with her and you know you have to teach a bible study that day and need time to focus and study, then that is not a necessity for you to go. It's only going to affect the responsibilities you already have for that day.
Learn to say no unless God is telling you to say "yes". Every time you say yes to someone else, you're saying no to yourself. Be okay with saying no sometimes if you know it is not what you should be doing.
Take time for self care by getting proper exercise, sleep or even engaging in hobbies or taking time to be with friends.
All in all, we must always be in tune with what God wants us to do. We can't do it on our own strength or we will empty.
We should consult Him about our time and schedules and also learn to take care of ourselves.
When we find ourselves overwhelmed, just cling onto Him because He promises relief, comfort and rest for our souls.
Prayer for today:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak. Thank you for your yoke that is easy and burden that is light. Your word says that if I acknowledge you in all of my ways , you will make my paths straight. Thank you for your clarity and direction in this season I am in. I pray that you always keep my heart and steps aligned with your will. I don't want to be led by self ambition or self desires. Help me to always be in tuned with what You want me to do.
In Jesus Name,
Amen!