To the girl who’s struggling with burnout, I want you to know that you’re not alone.
Our society is running at such a fast pace, and our lives continue to mimic it. Everyone’s in a hurry. We’re all struggling with patience. We’re all working hard to be whatever we’ve defined success as. We all are stuck in a continuous cycle of work hard, burnout, rest, and repeat.
Let’s stop for a second…what is burnout? It’s something we all experience, but what does it mean?
Helpguide.org defines burnout as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.”
Burnout is caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It’s not one thing that goes wrong in your morning or experiencing a bad day at work – it’s something that’s been building, building, building until you’re just so exhausted you can’t take it anymore.
Exhaustion can leave us feeling drained, hopeless, unmotivated, and even resentful to a degree.
So, what do we do about all this? Should we accept that it’s a natural part of our day and age?
NO, friend! There is nothing ordinary about burnout!
We need to figure out ways to combat excessive and prolonged stress, so we know when to slow down and rest, not when our bodies force us to.
I think God’s Word is a great place to start.
Psalm 121
“I lift my eyes up to the mountains– where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you– the Lord if your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm– He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Psalm 121 (NIV)
What a word, right? I also love to read it in The Message (MSG) version:
“I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
He won’t let you stumble, your Guardian God won’t fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel’s Guardian will never doze or sleep.
God’s your Guardian, right at your side to protect you– Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke.
God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. He guards you now, he guards you always.”
Psalm 121 (MSG)
This Psalm was intended for those making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is one of 15 “Song of Ascents” that people journeying to Jerusalem would sing as they walked up the steep paths to Jerusalem (due to its high elevation).
And while it boasts of the truth for Israel at the time, it does the same for those who have accepted Jesus Christ into their lives today. Thanks to Jesus, we have been grafted in and can take part in the same promises to the Israelites.
As Psalm 121 begins, the Psalmist lifts his eyes to the mountains – or hills in other translations. And as he does this, He wonders, “where does my strength come from?”
His response is one that we should note: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
In other translations, it says, “My strength comes from the Lord…”
I can only imagine how the pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem needed to be strengthened during that strenuous climb. I’m sure their legs were weak and needed the Lord’s strength more than ever!
And if you’re like me, I feel weaker than ever when I’m experiencing burnout. There is not an ounce left of strength in my body.
It’s important to remember that it’s not by our strength that we will be able to climb out of the pit of burnout, but God’s strength.
As we seek Him, He strengthens us with a supernatural strength that is no match for any human strength. It’s no match for hours spent at the gym or that 4th cup of coffee. Heck, it doesn’t even come from a good night’s sleep.
Our strength comes from Him.
Turning Our Gaze Toward God’s Creation
Another thing I love about Psalm 121 is that it begins with the writer’s gaze turning to God’s creation. He’s looking up to the mountains and can’t help but reflect on who the Creator is.
When we turn our attention to God’s glory on display through nature, we can’t help but reflect on the nature of God.
This is why I think spending time outdoors and connecting with creation is so important. It gives us the time and space to think about who God is to us. We’re given an opportunity, without distractions, to connect with the same Creator that created the beautiful landscape in front of us.
Take time to get out into creation and seek God. Reflect on who He is and how He strengthens, protects, and watches over you.
If you commit to doing this, burnout, stress, anxiety, hopelessness, and exhaustion, stand no chance against the strength, protection, peace, love, joy, and hope you’ll find.
*Stay tuned for next week’s YouTube video, where I explore this topic on a deeper level (https://www.youtube.com/@closetocreation)
Reflection Questions
- When have you experienced burnout in your life? What caused it?
- When you’re experiencing burnout, where does your attention go? Does it go to God, or does it go to social media?
- How do you think seeking God’s strength and presence (especially out in nature) helps to prevent or lessen burnout?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, Thank you for being my Guardian in times of need. I need your strength more than ever right now. Help me bring my attention back to You through this trying time. I pray that I can seek Your presence and strength above everything else. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
