Becoming A Well-Watered Woman In A Parched WorldSample

Moving Beyond Burnout

Are you experiencing burnout? Most of us don’t plan on reaching that point. We start out burning brightly for Jesus, and we’re determined to let our light shine for all to see. 

But as the burdens, pressures, and realities of life build up, we grow weary. We serve Jesus beyond our capacity, saying yes to many good things while missing out on the best thing—intimacy with him. And along the way, we lose our joy. 

It’s possible to be busy doing good things for Jesus without actually being with him.  

We hear about poor Martha in the gospels, and we often feel just like her—chastised, discouraged, and exhausted. We want to be more like Mary, but our “doing” mentality keeps us too busy to slow down. 

However, the point of this story isn’t just to be more like Mary and less like Martha. The point is to be like Jesus, choosing what’s best in this life and leaving behind everything that lessens our love for him. 

Like Martha, you will experience burnout. You will be tempted to choose your to-do list over sitting at Jesus’ feet. But even when the fire of your heart becomes mere ashes from saying yes too much, Jesus’ love will spark your joy back to life. 

The truth is, we can be both Mary and Martha. There are days when the embers of our heart are ablaze and we choose to sit with Jesus over doing other things. Then there are days when our faith feels like it has all but fizzled out. 

Most of us don’t think about having to do anything to keep our love for Jesus ablaze. But if we pay attention, we’ll see many reminders of God’s grace in our everyday life. Being awake before dawn with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, pausing in the middle of the day to reflect on Scripture, enjoying deep conversation with a friend, worshiping in church, reading a good book—all of these point us back to the joy of knowing God and being known and loved by him. 

When we begin to see the glory of God in all things, including the small things and the hard things, the joy of this realization will spill over into every area of life. We will learn that we don’t have to live in defense mode. We can intentionally protect our love for Christ like never before.  

Just as Jesus called Martha back to his heart, urging her to pursue and enjoy what matters for all eternity, he calls us to do the same. If your faith has fizzled out and you’re shoveling the ashes of doubt, discouragement, and defeat, remember that God can take a single spark and ignite it into something beyond your wildest expectations.

Conversation Starter: Have you ever found yourself at the point of burnout? What strategies did you use to refocus your priorities? 

Getting Started: Take a few minutes to list activities and special memories that help you feel closer to Jesus. Spend some time thanking God for these evidences of his grace.