Spiritual Stress and Burnout

In the Old Testament, we read that Elijah experienced God’s supernatural strength to do the extraordinary. But at a latter part, we find Elijah fearful, running scared, exhausted, depressed, and wanting to die. “Enough Lord, let me die” was his cry. The continuous stresses he faced consumed the last of his energy, his ability to go on and to say: "I  have had enough; I would rather die than go on facing this day in and day out”. 

Elijah was a man just like us. Stress is all around us, perhaps not as extreme as for Elijah, but it's just around the corner, always consuming spiritual, emotional and physical energy. It can be forced on us by circumstances or induced by the choices we make. 

Colin Buckland describes burnout in “Freedom to Lead”:

“The exhausting of the inner resource that enables a carer to go on caring. The using up of the essential ‘inner you’, rendering the individual in a serious condition of dysfunctionality. The spending of self on others in such a way that the ‘inner bank balance’ has gone into the red.”

For people like us, who have a calling or role to care for others, it’s something that happens all too frequently as a result of never-ending need to continually give out, at our own spiritual, emotional and physical expense. 

Some of the symptoms of spiritual burnout may include:

-Loss of purpose in life

-Having self-image destroyed

-Feeling alone in the world

-Being filled with resentment and bitterness

-Feeling that all is hopeless

-Withdrawal from community and activity

- Spiritual Strain

Stress does not have to lead to burnout if we are aware and take steps to set sensible boundaries especially as it plays out differently for each individual. Anatolin and I were given church callings early in our lives. In our teenage years, we had already been teaching in the Seminary and Institute. In our early marriage with very young children, we both served in the church in various capacities. At some point in our lives, we experienced that kind of downward pull as a result of spiritual burnout. It is our prayer that we be aware to its nature, risks, consequences and the devastation of burnout that so often follows.

What does spiritual burnout look like? How can we recognize it? What are its symptoms? How can we heal from it? If you have the same questions, we would be happy to reach out and start a support group. 

Meanwhile, cheer up! You don't need to take on too much work. Allow your spirit to rest, process and grow!