Burnout Isn't the End of Your Story!Sample

The worst thing you can do when you're going the wrong way is to keep going in that direction!

My friend Dave always tells me, "Scott, nothing changes if nothing changes." And he's right. I'm so grateful that the day after my breakdown with my volunteers, I had already blocked out time to sit in a casita overlooking a pool without any agenda. I brought one book with me, Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel. I re-read the book that day and re-discovered God's unconditional love for me.

While sitting next to that pool, I thought about Jesus coming out of the waters of the Jordan River following His baptism by John. Until then, Jesus had performed zero miracles, gathered zero crowds, delivered zero messages, and healed zero people. Yet Mark 1 tells us that the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice from heaven declared, "This is my beloved Son; in him I am well pleased." Another translation records, "he brings me great joy."

That day, I wondered if that's how God saw me. I didn't need to achieve or perform to earn God's love. What if I didn't have to push myself so hard that I burned out to bring God joy and experience His approval?

That day began a long road to healing and change in my life. Looking back, I see God's providence at work. The night I broke down came just hours before a day away when I experienced a breakthrough.

I encourage you today to ask yourself hard questions during this plan. Are you headed down the wrong path? Is it time for you to change? Do you want to become another statistic?

Consider the mindset that got you into burnout. Were you trying to prove your worth and value to someone? Would achieving some level of success bring fulfillment and peace? Did you think God would love you more if you did all those things successfully?

In Acts 3, Peter speaks about leaving the wrong path. He addressed a crowd that gathered after he performed a miracle, saying, "Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out."

Repenting is not the same as regretting. Regret is feeling wrong about something that you've done in the past. Repentance is doing something about that feeling by expressing godly sorrow, naming the wrong thing, and heading in a different direction.

Today would be a great day to repent of the sinful mindsets which brought you here. Instead of trying to achieve God's love, what if you received God's love like Jesus did in Mark 1? What if you embraced the truth of Romans 8, where we read that nothing can separate us from God's love? What if you repented of trying to earn God's love as an employee rather than embracing His love as His beloved child?

If you're experiencing burnout, one challenge you will face is the temptation to blame others. You may be in an environment that rewards you for living or working at an unsustainable pace. At the same time, you might also need to own the choices you made and desires you pursued that led you to a feeling of burnout. When I burned out 12 years ago, I had to own my part while also seeing how my unhealthy environment rewarded me for choosing a harmful pattern.

Today, you can stop going in the wrong direction and start in the right direction. If you don't turn around, you're deciding to get unhealthier. My pastor in college often said, "Not making a decision is a decision."

You can embrace Jesus' invitation to come away with Him, bringing your burdens so you can find rest for your soul. He wants to teach you a different way to live that doesn't leave you exhausted, weary, and vulnerable to sinful choices.

I'll see you on Day 3 of this plan when we'll consider how overcoming burnout is something that you won't be able to do alone.