Burnout

I was crazy busy. The church where I had been serving as a senior associate pastor had asked me to fill in as lead pastor while we searched for a new lead. I was trying to do both jobs and found myself running way too fast.

During this intense time, I came across a book called, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson. Swenson, a medical doctor, reflects on a time when he was very busy with his practice and speaking engagements. One night, he and his wife sat down by the fireplace. They wrote down all of their commitments/responsibilities on a piece of paper. They then crumpled up the paper and threw it into the fire. They decided to start fresh - to reset their lives with margin, believing that this is what God wanted them to do. They took out a new piece of paper and began writing down the things they felt God wanted them to focus on.

In many ways, it felt like my life was out of control. I longed to be able to do what the Swensons did. Little did I know that God would give me that opportunity.

Over the next year and a half, my wife and I sensed that God was calling us into a new ministry. This transition gave us the opportunity to think afresh about our life purpose and what we thought God wanted us to pursue. The key for us was to plan with the idea of margin in mind. How could we position ourselves for long-term effectiveness? How could we live to have discretionary time, energy, and other resources so that we could respond more rapidly to the needs and opportunities that God placed before us and to process life in a deeper way?

Here are four margin-protecting practices that have been important for us:

  1. Schedule “down time”

If we schedule “down time” into our calendars, we’re more likely to do it. It’s also easier to say "no" to a pressing demand when we already have something else scheduled at that time. We can honestly say, "I have another commitment on my calendar that I need to honour." 

  2. Set boundaries

It’s important to put fences around the time and activities we need for restoring ourselves. For example, we generally don’t answer our phones during meal times.

  3. Unplug from technology periodically

Do you ever grow tired of living the Christian life? Does it seem hard and challenging at times? Yet at the same time, perhaps there is a deep desire within you to run the race of the Christian life well. You want to please the Lord and bring honour to His name, but you find that your tank is often running on empty.

Hebrews 12:1-3 gives us six ways that we can run the race of the Christian life well. Each way keeps us running while also equipping us to maintain our pace. In this blog, we will look at the first three ways.

1. Remember the Faithful Ones

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,"

The great cloud of witnesses likely refers to the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11. Enoch walked with God. Noah obeyed God even when it didn’t make sense to do so. Abraham left his home and later was willing to sacrifice his son because he trusted God. Moses abandoned a life of wealth and prestige to follow God.

Yet, the faithful ones mentioned in Hebrews 11 are not the only people of faith that we can look to as examples. I can think of a number of people who have impacted me because of their faith in God. They, too, are part of the cloud of witnesses. Their example inspires, guides, and challenges me to be faithful.

2. Throw Off Hindrances

"...let us throw off everything that hinders..."

Have you ever had to run through an airport because you’re late for your flight? I’ve had that happen a few times. And when it happens, I am never ready for a mad dash to my plane. I’m not dressed to run. I usually have a small backpack and a carry-on suitcase. Needless to say, I don’t run very fast with these extra items.

The writer of Hebrews is telling us to throw off the things that hinder us from running the race of the Christian life well. These can be good things like work, leisure activities, relationships, and even ministry. Yet, anything that becomes more important than God in our lives or distracts us from God is an idol. It is hindering us from running our race well.

What is hindering us or could hinder us from fully living out the Christian life? As someone has said, “The good is often the enemy of the best.” Let’s hold onto God’s best for our lives.

3. Get Rid of Sin

"...and the sin that so easily entangles."

I was barely two years into pastoral ministry when it happened. I burnt out. It took almost a year to recover from the fatigue and depression. As I struggled forward, I decided that with God’s help, I would never let myself burn out again.

By God’s grace and with several time management strategies in place, I have been able to stay clear of another major burnout period for the past 23 years.

Here are seven tips for managing your time and avoiding burnout:

Develop a life purpose statement

Understanding your purpose in life helps you to do what is best and not to get distracted by the many good options in life (you can read about how to do this in my Three Steps to Understanding Your Life Purpose in a Deeper Way post). God does not want you to meet every need or seize every opportunity that crosses your path. In fact, Jesus Himself did not meet every need he encountered. He understood what the Father wanted him to do. A sense of our life’s purpose will help us to follow God’s agenda for our lives (which, by the way, does not include major burnout).

Manage your schedule according to your life purpose

Schedule in daily, weekly, monthly and annual reflection times where you think through your priorities and arrange your life accordingly in your calendar. A life purpose is only a life purpose when it guides our lives.

Spend time alone with God

I need to spend time alone with God each day. I need to spend extended times with God so that we can go deeper in our conversations. For example, I just spent a day of prayer and planning at a local retreat center. These times alone with God help me to recognize God’s voice in the busyness and chaos of everyday life.

Leave room in your schedule for important interruptions