Why do people burn out? When I was a kid my Sunday School teachers used to serve for years at a time. Every Sunday, week after week for years. They didn’t seem to burn out. If they did, it wasn’t noticeable. Maybe it was because they were part of the “greatest generation” and maybe today we are all just wimps.
When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.” To that, Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.” What a way to think about our calling! That is a whole other level. He went on to convert the whole community from cannibalism to Christ.
Why do we burn out?
Maybe our motivation is off. We may be doing spiritual activities for the good feelings they generate in us, or we may be doing things to impress others or to get attention. Our sole purpose should be for the glory of God and His kingdom, because Jesus loves us and we love Him.
Maybe you have let the busyness of your life squeeze out your spiritual disciplines. You could be running out of spiritual fuel because you are not refilling your tanks with time in God’s word, prayer, worship and fellowship.
Are you living in gratitude?
Colossians 2:6–7 (NASB95) Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Gratitude refuels us like nothing else. It washes away anxiety and despair. It helps us get everything in perspective. Be thankful for what you have, instead of myopically hyper-focusing on what you do not have. Burnout is not inevitable. Refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord. (See Acts 3:19-20)
I hope you are refueled and refreshed this Thanksgiving season.
I love you, Pastor Randy