And
whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men. –Colossians 3:23
A
character in one of my favorite sitcoms, Seinfeld, once remarked that his mind
was, “As barren as the surface of the moon.”
He was speaking of the burnout and exhaustion he was going through and
as part of the genius of the show, this serious sounding description of his condition
was humorous. In real life, of course,
there is nothing comical about burnout. The
condition known as burnout affects people from all walks of life. Burnout is the condition of being so tired,
exhausted, and overworked that all energy for going forward and thriving in one’s
position is gone. I have known many
pastors affected by this and I have experienced it myself.
However,
the condition is in no way limited to the pastorate. Anyone can suffer from burnout. While depression affects our entire being,
burnout is typically centered on one area such as our career or current
job. You may be reading this right now
and thinking, “Yes, that’s me; I so dislike my job that it’s all I can do to
make myself get up and go to work each day.”
When suffering from burnout, we have no problem getting up on our day
off to take a trip somewhere or perhaps enjoy work around the house. But when Monday comes, we’re feeling pretty
low. Our employment is no longer
bringing us any fulfillment.
Take
heart, because if your career has you burnt out, revitalization is possible. Consider again that attitude makes all the
difference. The following suggestions
may prove useful.
Seek to view your work
as a calling rather than a job. God has strategically placed you where you
are for a divine purpose. Whether you
are a janitor or an executive, give your all to your work, because you are in
the position of influencing peoples’ live around you for the better. Your employment is your mission field.
God is using your work
for providing basic necessities. Consider that without that dull job you go to
each morning, you and your family would be homeless, which is a condition affecting
countless people right now. Take on a new
attitude of thanksgiving for all your work has allowed you to possess, such as
a place to live and provision for your family.
Unclutter your life. Getting rid of clutter from our homes and
workplaces is one of the most energizing practices we can pursue. While you’re at it, getting rid of car
clutter makes us feel great as well. Is your
desk at work buried in junk mail and other stuff? Resolve today to have the most organized desk
in the office. You will be amazed at the
result.
Seek to encourage those
around you. What
is your attitude at work? Are you sullen
and critical? Do you complain about the
boss and fellow employees? Do you gossip
with coworkers about others? These attitudes
fuel burnout. Resolve to cease from
speaking ill of others. Make a commitment
to say only kind words about your manager and fellow employees. Rather than cut others down, seek to build up
people around you with gracious, kind, and encouraging words. Practice this every day and burnout begins to
dissolve.
Get some exercise. I know I keep harping on this, but it’s just
that important. Moderate exercise or
daily workouts do wonders for our overall outlook. Give it a try.
Recommit your life to
God. Resolve to daily pray and meditate on God’s
Word. What a wonderful difference this practice
makes.
I
trust this is helpful. Should you desire
to comment on today’s post, please feel free to do so. I would love to hear from you and pray for
you today.
God
bless you, my friends.
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