I feel it sometimes. The weariness. The heaviness. The “I don’t want to do this anymore” bitterness. What leads a christian to reach this level of burnout? Why are we not perpetually joyful in our ability to serve? Why does the work in God’s kingdom sometimes feel like a burden? Let’s talk about this. I think there’s at least one common thread that’s woven into all cases of Christian burnout.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
THE TO-DO LIST
It’s easy to get buried by a to-do list. Sometimes the responsibilities feel never ending…like you can never quite check everything off the list. I want to share with you my personal church to-do list as well as my personal weekly to-do list. I promise I’m going somewhere with this. Please follow along as I try to make this point.
MY PERSONAL CHURCH TO-DO LIST
- Design and print the church’s Easter mailing
- Manage various church office responsibilities while the Communication Coordinator is out of the office for six weeks
- Wash the church communion linens each week
- Gather and communicate with friends regarding the weekly Open Gym
- Establish a 50th Anniversary Committee, then begin event planning
- Plan and organize the annual community Easter Egg Hunt
I only have six things on my church to-do list. Some of them require many hours of work. A few are limited in scope or duration. I think it might be the cumulative effect of everything together, but sometimes I wake up feeling completely burnt out before I’ve even begun the day’s work.
MY PERSONAL WEEKLY TO-DO LIST
- Be a wife and mother
- Homeschool my fifth grader
- Prepare and teach Personal Finance, Fiction Writing, and Book Club classes for local homeschool students
- Prepare and teach Pre-Algebra (from two different curriculums), Algebra, Eighth Grade Language Arts, and high school writing for my private students
- Co-coach my son’s robotics team
- Run the annual silent auction for my son’s robotics team (a local non-profit)
- Write five-six website posts per month (For this website and others)
- Manage my Real Food Real Healing social media accounts
- Work on my own fiction writing projects
- Cook real food for my family, clean, do the laundry, pay the bills
I’m busy. I’m sure that you’re busy too. Do you find that your church to-do list bleeds into your personal one? I do. They meld. They solidify. The to-do lists become one giant beast of burden. It’s then hard to feel the difference between “I have to do this,” and “I’m privileged to serve in this way.” It all feels like one enormous list of responsibility. In a way, I suppose there’s some good in that. It means that I take my church obligations seriously. They take priority in my life. But on the other hand, it’s easy for them to feel like any other thing I have to check off my list.
FEW HANDS CARRY A HEAVY LOAD
My husband is a pastor. He currently serves his third congregation. In all of these churches, there has been one thing in common. The work of serving is generally done by a small percentage of the members. Most of the time, a small group of people carries the load. It’s true where we are now. It’s been true at every church in our past. This alone can lead to a feeling of burnout.
The few hands that do the work carry a heavy load. They take on more than any one person should. They do it for the sake of the church. The mission, the Great Commission, matters to them personally. But over time, a feeling of isolation creeps in. Serving can be lonely. It can be frustrating. It can lead to resentment for those who don’t find time to serve. Christian burnout is often a feeling of “I can’t do this alone anymore!” Christian burnout can be likened to a desperate need for help.
THE MOST COMMON THREAD IN CHRISTIAN BURNOUT
I think there is one most common thread in all of Christian burnout. You can blame a sense of responsibility, the length of the to-do list, or the lack of hands to help. But even more so, I think Christian burnout comes when the Christian in question has neglected their own spiritual health. We cannot serve joyfully if we are disconnected from God’s love, his grace, and his purpose for us. We find all of these connections when we are in the word regularly.
Christian friend, if you are feeling burnt out by your to-do list, stop what you are doing. Stop the endless checking off of items. Stop. Open your Bible. Spend some time in the word and in prayer. Let God renew your spirit. Let him instill you with purpose.
The most common thread in Christian burnout is a form of selfishness. We, the busy Christians of our day, think that we can do it all. We think that the success of every church program rests on our shoulders. As servants, we get tired when we feel like our efforts aren’t producing enough value. Christian burnout often circles back to our own wants, needs, and desires. If we can rest in God’s word and depend on God’s guidance through prayer, our Christian burnout will feel less like burnout and more like true Christian service.
Serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 100:2
To read more about God’s purpose for you, Christian friend, see this post on Professional and Personal Vocation.
