As I write this, I’m winding down the final days of a one month sabbatical.
For the last four weeks, I haven’t worked at the church or my business. In fact, I haven’t answered my phone or returned any emails. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done because I’ve spent the last three quarters of my life training my mind and body to do one thing; work. After all, I’m from the Midwest and the highest compliment a man can earn here is “He’s a hard worker!”
It was like trying to stop a train whose breaks had become stiff and rusty from never being used.
Before the sabbatical, I was compulsively working, checking emails, doing “one small thing” after another until I found myself horribly burned out, but unable to stop moving long enough to recharge and rest.
The last few weeks have been incredibly eye opening and I just wanted to share a couple of things I learned from it.
First, you CAN have too much of a good thing.
The fact that you’re called, gifted, or super passionate about a vocation doesn’t mean that it’s healthy to work 70 hours a week at it. One day you wake up wondering why it all just feels like a dry, laborious, joyless chore (because you’re burned out). If God wanted us to work that hard, He wouldn’t have given us the sabbath. Pace yourself. After 40 hours of work (in a week), the law of diminishing returns kicks in and the extra work begins to work against you.
Some of the stuff we learn in church can really hurt us in this department.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked myself to exhaustion while Steven Curtis Chapman was singing in my mind, “We will abandon it all for the sake of the call.” Phrases like “totally abandoned to God” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” are wonderful when taken in context, but are often used to push ourselves into unbalanced, unhealthy work habits.
It takes discipline to rest.
I’m all about discipline. I discipline myself to eat right, exercise, pray, and study the Bible. I usually see discipline as an action. I like action. I’m a person of action. I’ve discovered that it takes an incredible amount of discipline to be still and rest. I mean really rest. Don’t check email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Unplug. It’s in an environment of rest that our minds can refresh, creativity can begin stirring, and we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. But it’s so hard in our culture of constant motion, information, and narcissism. Schedule times of unplugged rest. Put it on the calendar. It will pay off in a big way!
This Sunday I go back to work. I’ll be preaching at my church for the first time in a month. I can’t wait! God has given me a fresh love for our congregation, creative ideas for our future, and an excitement to see us live a passionate mission together. These are all things that I needed badly, but couldn’t receive because I was too busy “gittin’ ‘er done”.
So, what does your discipline of rest look like? Would you mind sharing some ideas in the comment section?
If you’re tired and burned out, take a look below. You might find some great ideas!
Thanks Lee. I’m just starting week 2 of my 2 weeks off on sick leave due to stress. And the rest has been wonderful. OK I’ve checked FB, Twitter, emails but felt ok doing that. If that was stress I wouldn’t have done it. I’ve had lie ins, I’ve sat and done nothing but just ‘be’, I’ve been on bike rides, I’ve seen friends without time limits, I’ve found a new want to spend time with God, sing, read my bible, pray, listen – yes most of all listen, again without time limits. I feel quite different to the Monday I went home ”sick” having had a breakdown at work.
I too realise, being busy, ‘burn out for Jesus’, saying yes all the time is detrimental because in the end we can’t hear God, we can’t hear ourselves and are no good to anyone.
Determined to take things a bit slower now and say ‘sorry no I can’t help/can’t do that’ at times so I can be more fruitful for God as I’ll have time to hear Him again and love Him.
I used to question the legitimacy of stress sickness until I ended up in the hospital with chest pains. It’s real and can really cause harm. Take care of yourself!
Hi Lee, Thanks for your openness & honesty! I burned out after 4 years on the field in Asia. I also learned several things, and I know it’s a personal journey for each individual. For me, I was over-responsible to cover things and compensate for others’ weaknesses so that everything would keep working well. I learned I need to incorporate times of rest into my schedule – and I agree that it is a discipline. For me, it was also about trust. That I can work hard and do everything I can do, but at the end of the day, the Holy Spirit must be the one doing the REAL work. If I stopped and rested, could I trust Him to carry it through to completion? Or if it fell apart, to rest and let Him accomplish what He wanted through that experience? I now think of Sabbath a lot like tithing. Discipline, yes. But I give the first, the best to Him, with my money and my time. It’s a statement of trust and faith that He is God. I am only to be faithful with what He gives me and not a single bit more. By the way, it took me about 2 years to recover from burnout, but I’m glad to say that I’m still on the field, 17 years and counting!
One of the hardest pills for me to swallow was that God created me with limitations. Learning to honor them and trust God to do what I cannot is a constant challenge. Keep up the great work on the field!
Excellent message little cousin 😉 I am sometimes guilty of trying to be all things to all people, to the detriment of my own health. After a particularly rough couple of months I found myself in complete adrenal failure (Not a recognized medical diagnosis, but oh so very real). I literally could not move. It is hard to try not to manage everything but I now take the time to sleep, sit, unplug when necessary.
Glad to hear you’re taking care of yourself Kim! I know people who have experienced adrenal failure. It’s tough because burnout can happen in a relatively short amount of time and can take soooo long to recover. Much love!