In dealing with burnout, whether we are avoiding it or recovering from it, we need to realize that taking proper care of our self is important. It allows us to continue on in what we love, and to continue in what God has called us to do.
Today, I came across an article on gotquestions.org with three questions that gave us a starting point for how to take care of ourselves. The first question is a topic that I have written on before, so it grabbed my attention quickly. Do I know for certain that God has called me to this ministry? I have given the example of a person giving a great testimony of how God called them to teach a Sunday school class, but for some reason is now leading the department with no clear indication from The Lord that she was meant to do so. However, this article brings up the issue of the proper service to individual fit. Maybe this person just isn’t cut out to do this type of work. Yet the article also points out that God uses the least likeliest fit many of times.
This then, poses the second question, “Where am I getting my strength to serve in this ministry?” The article pointed out something interesting and some might say controversial: In His human from, even Jesus needed God in order to do His Ministry. Scripture tells us, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” I believe this verse can be applied to both of these first two questions. It shows that He couldn’t do it without God, and since He sees what God is doing, He knows what He is supposed to do (His calling if you will) as well. In some situations, I might ask the questions, “What do I see God doing, and am I meant to join in?”
The third and last question the author asks is more directly about self-care, “Am I taking time to stay filled and balanced?” It’s pointed out that many of us realize we are servants, but don’t realize how much we give without taking time for our self. God established the Sabbath as a day of rest. Yet, many of us don’t use it. In my experience, this applies especially to bi-vocational ministers. We were meant to work, but we were also meant to have rest. To achieve both, it takes balance. Jesus spent time in solitude, and time with friends. He spent time in prayer crying out to His Father, and he also received praise from His father. Why? I believe it was for us to see; an example for us to follow. Now that we have seen it, how do you put it into practice? Please feel free to comment below.
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Post Script: For my cut and past friends, here is the URL to the referenced article.
http://www.gotquestions.org/ministry-burnout.html