Many times in life a husband doesn’t get to show others how amazing his wife is. This last Thursday of July, I have the fortune of doing just that. Like me and many others, Kelly has experienced and fought through her fair share of burnout. I invite you now to read Kelly’s brief story, and also join in the conversation.
When you have dedicated your life to serving others in the name of Christ, it is hard to not get burned out. Ministry is a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week job. If you do not have proper boundaries, it is easy to lose sight of yourself and start heading to burnout. I had been in ministry for almost 12 years. I knew what I needed to refuel and I knew when my body was telling me it was time to get away. Then God blessed our family with a beautiful little girl. The next year and a half was the toughest time in my life. My husband and I were serving in a children’s home. We had eight girls, ages 5-12, and then our own precious girl. Having the constant demand of raising a family of 9 with one that never left my side, started to take its toll. I started to see the signs of burnout. My body was telling me it was time to get away. I wanted to sleep all the time, there was no joy in my work. I knew I needed a break, but felt like I could not take one. It is hard to be away from a newborn for any length of time; especially if they are not taking a bottle. My body and my time was no longer my own. I started to lose myself. I stopped thinking about the things I wanted to do. I stopped doing the things I liked to do and started living day to day, doing the things I needed to do to get through. It got to the point where if someone asked me what I would do if I had an hour to myself, I could not even tell you. I desperately needed to get away and find myself again. But, as ministry jobs go, we did not have the money to spend on a hotel for any length of time. I felt trapped. I just wanted someone to see my hurt and offer to help out. My husband did his best and with his help I was able to start doing things for me again. It took a while for me to rediscover myself, but in that I was able to realize once again that if I do not take care of myself, I cannot take care of others.
Thank you Kelly for sharing a brief overview of your story. God has called us to take care of others, and to do that it is important to take care of ourselves. We should remember Scripture tells us to love others as we love ourselves. Are you a mother or father with a similar experience? Please join in the conversation. If you would like to join our prayer team, please click the “Contact Us” tab. Also if you would like to nominate a minister, you can contact us through there also. Please consider supporting us financially. If you would like to, click on the “Donate Now” tab. As always, thank you for reading and remember, To GOD Be The Glory!