Avoid Burnout

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Most of us have experienced it before. Our culture is fast-paced, and we are praised for overextending ourselves. We push ourselves past our limits, and we take pride in our ability to do more than the person next to us. Our schedules are full, and we are always striving for more. Unfortunately, busyness often leads to stress and exhaustion rather than productivity. It’s important to align our priorities with God rather than hustling our way through life. He never intended for us to be so focused on performance and success.

As believers, we are meant to value connection over hustle. We are meant to prioritize love over productivity and relationship over rules. God’s desire is for our hearts to be transformed, not for our lives to fit into a nice package that can be shown off to others. He calls us to come alive under a steady flow of his grace and mercy. He offers us rest, peace, and contentedness in exchange for our anxiety, pride, and relentless desire for more.

Today’s Scripture is a reminder that we don’t need to become weary in doing good. We don’t need to quit because we haven’t seen results, and we don’t need to take matters into our own hands. We simply need to follow the path God has given us and remain faithful to his instructions. Following him isn’t burdensome, and his commands aren't complicated. He is pleased when we love him and others. He doesn’t command us to work harder; he invites us to abide with him. The result of abiding is that his love overflows from us to the people around us, and his will is accomplished.

Staying connected to Jesus allows us to use our time wisely. He is our true source of strength, and he faithfully leads us when we ask him to. He promises that if we remain in him, we will bear much fruit. It is better to cling to his promise than to try to muster up our own version of fruitfulness.

Have you viewed burnout as a badge of honor in the past, and how can you shift that pattern?