Are you facing burnout?
Recently, I heard author Claire Diaz-Ortiz say in the Typology Podcast, “We learn how to become more productive to do more.”
We download apps to help with our efficiency. Our day starts earlier to tackle emails. Our day ends later because we can use the last quiet moments to finish a spreadsheet. The efficiency getting us more production leads can lead us to more work as opposed to rest.
Burnout becomes a problem when the candle gets lit on both ends. Little do we realize that burnout has hit us until we face physical exhaustion, snap at a close family member, or it could have worse consequences.
The lie of burnout says that we have to accomplish more. It isolates us from relationships. Most of all, we think our performance and productivity gives us value and significance.
In our modern conversation on burnout, the Bible provides us with a remarkable insight into our own lives. 1 Kings 19:1-21 details the experience of Elijah in the wilderness.
The prior chapter in 1 Kings 18:16-46 shares of one of Elijah’s great victories over his enemies. God performs a mighty miracle in the midst of a challenge. Then the first verses of 1 Kings 19 open with Jezebel threatening Elijah’s life. He finds himself in the wilderness which stops him long enough to face the burnout.
I would encourage you to read 1 Kings 19 for you to get the whole story. Let me share three ways God responds to Elijah’s burnout that could be vital to you:
1. God provides food and rest (1 Kings 19:5-6)
Elijah is drained from his success in the previous chapter and then again drained by his fear of threats. When God comes alongside Elijah, he starts by meeting his physical needs for food and sleep. I wonder if God wants us to realize our practical dependence on Him. Burnout pushes to unhealthy relationships with food and cuts out our sleep. Eating and sleeping bring us back to our humanity to help us see clearly.
2. God becomes radically present (1 Kings 19:12)
The exhaustion and fear had overtaken Elijah, and it overtakes us in burnout. The wilderness signifies the difficult seasons of our lives, but it also provides us space to hear from God. Away from the crowds and the need to produce, God speaks in a whisper. Up until this moment, Elijah knew God in His mighty acts. The whisper reminds us of God’s personal invitation. In silence and solitude, we begin to sort out the lies and unhealthy thoughts that move us to listen to God.
3. God brings a relationship (1 Kings 19:19-21)
Once leaving the wilderness, God brings Elisha into Elijah’s life. Burnout drives us away from relationships and even causes us to see relationships as commodities. Finding ourselves with a mentor or a small group offers support through prayer and listening. Also, the people that know us the best can speak the truth with grace about our unhealthy patterns.
So today if you are facing burnout, how’s your eating and sleeping? How’s your connection with God? Have you brought the most significant people in your life? If you know someone experiencing burnout, send them this post and then find a way to be there for them.
Ultimately, burnout forgets the Gospel. The Good News of Jesus means we trust His work of the death and resurrection for our true value and not our performance to achieve.
Photo by Jeremy Bishop