Men and women, those who hold positions in churches, schools, mission organizations, and not-for-profit organizations, regularly endure burnout. I’ve seen it paraded as somewhat of a medal of achievement.

• Burnout is not the result of hard work. Adults were designed for hard work. We thrive on it. It’s inspiring.
• Burnout is the result repeatedly doing the “wrong” work, attempting “impossible” work, it comes from doing the work others are supposed to do. It comes from the attempts at “saving others” from themselves. It comes from hauling the impossible load of trying to save face and serve ego. It comes from refusing to mind one’s own business. It comes from being cornered by impossible expectations, from assuming irrational amounts of responsibility while also being willing to have little or no authority to accomplish the task.

The right work – the possible, achievable, the work to which you are called, annointed, appointed; doing the work you love and over which you have at least some authority will not result in burnout. It will result in a sense of achievement, a renewing of the human spirit, and the kind of physical tiredness that is both holy and is replenished by well earned rest.

Posted on March 5, 2019 at 8:19 am in Difficult Relationships   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL