Speaking to a friend on the phone I found they were having a rough week, a very rough week. Nothing was going right and the stress of life was mounting. Depression and a feeling of doom and gloom had started to set in. Exhaustion and burnout affect all of us. It has been noted, “The first and most widely recognized symptom of burnout is emotional exhaustion.” At some point in our life we all feel emotionally spent, burned out, exhausted, tired of the daily grind. My friend on the phone was emotionally, physically and spiritually burned out. They seemed to be at their breaking point. No longer able to continue with the life they lead. Give up. Quit. Stop and just be done. It was too much to carry on. I could have been talking to myself.
John Denver sang a song called, “I’m Sorry”. A song about loneliness and considering giving up. One line of the song says he’s “sorry for himself, living alone without you.” When we are only concerned about ourself, burnout can kick in. It is easy to reach our “breaking point” when everything is about ourselves. We need to remember to seek first His kingdom and then all will work out.
Paul was having a bad life. He could easily have reached his personal breaking point. He tells us,”…in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” (II Cor. 11:23b-28 [NKJV]). When Paul was weak, he was at his greatest strength. “Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (II Cor 12:10). He was strong because he did ALL for Christ! Paul did not reach his breaking point because he put Christ first.
Luke, Paul’s physician and traveling companion tells us of when Jesus was about to be arrested, beaten, ridiculed and horribly crucified. Jesus prayed to God, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me: nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42). Jesus knew what was coming, asked God for guidance and He did not reach His breaking point because He put God first.
Are we willing to put God first when we are having a bad day, week or year? Is life so tough that we give up on God? Or do we truly understand when we put God first, His kingdom and His way of life, putting our faith in Him, all things will work for good? (Rom. 8:28). It is not always easy to do the right thing. Our emotional burnout rears up and wants us to just give up and quit. DON’T EVER GIVE UP AND QUIT. We must “endure to the end” (Matt. 24:13). Albert E.N. Gray said, “Successful people are willing to do the things unsuccessful people are not willing to do.” Are we willing to go through the trials of Paul for Christ? Have we read of the trials of the heroes of Hebrews eleven who were willing to die for God? Are we like Jesus and willing to ask God for guidance and are we willing to accept that guidance and go through the trial?
Each and every day we can get close to our emotional breaking point, our “burnout” quotient. Don’t ever quit. Winston Churchill, arguably the greatest man of the last century said, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
What is our “breaking point”? How about our “burnout quotient”? I truly hope we never have to find out the answers to these questions. My friend on the phone did not know I was having the same feelings of emotional stress and burn out this past week. I was ready to quit, give up and just be done. Sometime during the week, I realized I cannot quit. We have responsibilities and people to take care of. I came home from work early and took a nap. I was emotionally drained, physically exhausted, burned out and closer to my personal breaking point than I should have been. A nap, some prayer and a visit with good Christian friends and all is well.
Never, never, never quit.
