From Burned Out to BlessedSample

Balance in a burnout culture

Our modern, American, Christian culture sets you up to burn you out. First, modern culture is disconnected from the natural rhythms that guided most humans for most of history. With our light bulbs and our laptops, we can farm past sundown, work double shifts at the hospital, and answer work emails all night. Second, my American culture treasures growth, progress, and profit. Did you know that the average American employee outworks the average German employee by 435 hours per year? (I’ve never stereotyped the Germans as lazy people!) Finally, our Christian culture emphasizes church attendance, Bible reading, volunteering, evangelism, and good works for the kingdom. No wonder so many of God’s kids are progressing from stressed to overwhelmed to flat-out burned out.

If that sounds like your life, it is time to read the entire Bible. There are certainly parts that push us to push, such as the scriptural value of hard work and sacrificial love (read 2 Corinthians 11). But there are other parts, equally biblical, that push us to rest. Think of “be still” from the Psalms (46:10) or God’s insistence to “remember the Sabbath day” for his Old Testament people (Exodus 20:8), or Jesus’ invitation to come to him and find “rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

Good theology requires two truths. In our burnout culture, make sure to remember, believe, and apply both God’s love for hard work and his gift of true rest. You are thoroughly biblical when you do.