Burnout Isn't the End of Your Story!Sample

"Are we there yet?!"

As our family drove 2,600 miles round trip for a memorable summer vacation, my kids occasionally asked this question in the back of our van. However, if it became incessant, all it took was one threat from my wife (a Superior Court judge) to put fear in the kids and ensure patience for the rest of that day's travel.

We all want to "get there" in life. We want to arrive at our destination and get impatient when the trip takes longer than expected.

You may long for healing and restoration as you process your exhaustion and burnout. You may even wonder, "Will I ever be healthy again?" Let me share a secret with you—"healthy" is a destination we will never reach but can continuously pursue. There will always be areas in your life that you want to improve. Like spiritual maturity, becoming healthy is a destination that lies on the other side of death.

In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul talked about believers hoping for what they do not have yet. It's a basic idea - you don't need to hope for it if you have it. But we need to remember that in this life, there will always be things that we're hoping for and not yet experiencing. In this season, you may be hoping for healing and restoration. You may be hoping for renewed passion and hunger for God.

Two things need to happen for you to move from burnout to being refreshed. First, God's grace needs to be powerfully at work in your life. Not only does God's grace save us from our sins, but God's grace transforms us continuously. Second, you must work hard to unlearn old patterns and discover new rhythms.

I love what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, where he said, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." Paul gives God the credit for who he has become but acknowledges that God's grace empowered him to work harder than anyone else.

Dallas Willard commented on this reality when he said, "Grace isn't opposed to effort. Grace is opposed to earning." When I burned out years ago, I needed to learn the difference between effort and earning. My personality, childhood experiences, and my view of God combined make me think I could earn God's love through my performance. When that combination was at work in me while I was working on staff at a church, it was a cocktail for disaster.

But by God's grace, I am what I am today, and His grace towards me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than anyone to get healthy—yet it was not me but the grace of God that was with me. I can make Paul's words my own, and I pray today that you can do the same one day.

You didn't arrive at burnout overnight. You won't experience healing, restoration, and health overnight either. But your journey may already have begun, and each day you do the work, God is at work in you in ways you cannot fully comprehend.

I'm praying for you to do the job and trust the process. Tomorrow, as this plan draws to a close, we'll see how God will use your burnout experience in ways that will leave you in awe.