Unlocking the Secret to Avoiding Spiritual Burnout

What Is Spiritual Burnout?

Jim lugged one more massive branch and placed it on top of his burn pile. Leaves, sticks, limbs, and maybe even a few things he shouldn’t be burning found themselves in this massive pile. It had rained a few days prior so; he decided to give the pyre a bit of a boost—he doused it with diesel fuel. (I think I’m supposed to put a disclaimer here for kids to not try this at home). He lit an old newspaper and threw it into the fire.

Whoosh!

The beginning of Jim’s bonfire was quite eventful. As the flames soared, he became slightly concerned that he’d have to call the fire department. This thing was threatening to get out of control. So, he began watering the edges of the fire a little, just in case. After awhile, the flames died down, and it was a much more controlled burn. Then the flames turned to a faint flicker. Eventually, only one tiny little branch was emitting and faint glow. When everything had been consumed, the fire went out. There was nothing left to consume. The fire burned out.

The same thing can happy to people. We’re likely accustomed to this phrase from the world of work. An employee who was once energetic, always on time, offering ideas, quick to answer emails, staying up late-nights to finish important projects, and just a joy to be around has now fizzled into something unrecognizable. She’s burned out.

If you’re the one feeling that burnout you’ll likely describe it with words like tired, exhausted, or drained. You’ll feel unmotivated as everything feels both overwhelming and pointless. Your words will be jaded and cynical—frustration boiling over into your words. Health problems, slipping job performance, and neglecting self-care often accompany burnout. At their worst, your thoughts can become increasingly dark. Your work-life balance gets off kilter, and everything is consumed by this job that you abhor.

That’s what it looks like if you’re burned out in your job. The same thing can happen spiritually. You’ll see it most prominently in the spiritual disciplines. Rather than an exciting time of reading Scripture, praying, going to church, sharing your faith, etc., it will all feel like drudgery. Your faith will have a darker edge to it. Even if you’re still “doing all the right things,” it will feel mechanical and pointless. Much like that lone branch emitting a faint glow, your faith is barely hanging on. You feel like you have nothing left to give.

How’d you get here?

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Where Does Spiritual Burnout Come From?

In order to create and sustain a fire, you need three essential components: fuel, heat, and oxygen. If any of the three are removed the fire will weaken and eventually extinguish. We might think of our spiritual life similarly. There has to be something to burn—that’s us, our physical bodies. There also has to be something to heat it up—community, ministry, God’s Word, etc. And the Spirit (oxygen) must also be present to give life to the whole thing. If any of these elements are missing, we’re going to burn out.

Think of your body as the fuel. That doesn’t just mean your physical body, but your holistic being. As an example, if your emotions get all out of whack, it might be akin to trying to light a wet log. It can happen, but it’s going to take some effort. Or if we haven’t taken care of our bodies, it might be like only have little twigs with which we’re expecting to stir up a bonfire. The same could be said for our theology. If we have a messed-up view of God, our logs will be displaced. Burning a little here, a little there, but never uniting in such a way to create a real scorcher.

But I’ve also seen people get “burned out” because they’ve spent so much time building a theology but then never using it. In this case you have a massive pile of wood but nothing with which to light it. Whether that be ministry, the Christian community, or engagement with God’s Word. If we aren’t in community, we aren’t engaging in mission, we aren’t communing with God through prayer and the Word, etc. then there isn’t an accelerant.

Lastly, we’re dependent upon the Spirit. It’s possible that we’re reading the Word and are even in a position that we might say is highly combustible, yet nothing really sparks because we’re being smothered out. We might be smothered out because of personal sin or busyness or distraction. And on occasion it may simply be that the Spirit isn’t mechanical and there will be some seasons that are drier than others.

To put this simply spiritual burnout usually comes from one of these elements missing in our life. We’re either neglecting our bodies, shirking spiritual disciplines, or our spirit is being smothered. How do we avoid this?

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Tips for Avoiding Spiritual Burnout

It’s important to note here that God is able to create fire without the spiritual triangle. Just ask that burning bush in Exodus or those silly prophets on Mt. Carmel who tried to mess with Elijah. And that’s good news because when we’re burned out the last thing, we need is some fool-hearted writer telling us to buck up and burn better. God can rescue and re-enliven even the most burnt piece of toast.

I phrase it like that because if you’re in one of those dark places that’s probably how you feel—about as useless as a burnt piece of toast. And that feeling only adds to the problem. If you’re a pastor, like me, this is exacerbated. You feel like you’re running on fumes but the “job” doesn’t stop. So you keep giving and giving and further depleting yourself without seeing light at the end of the tunnel. It’s helpful to know that God is gracious and rescues us out of this mire. But its also helpful to know that God doesn’t expect you to get yourself into this spot.

The first thing I’d say as far as advice on avoiding spiritual burnout is to acknowledge that what you’re doing isn’t heroic—it’s rebellious. Hear me out. God has called you to have a Sabbath. That means to rest. That means to trust in Him and His accomplishments. If you’re busy spinning all these plates and making sure the world is going around, you’re not doing it because God has placed that burden upon you. You’re doing it because you’re prideful and not trusting in the Lord.

Rather than being offended by those words, consider letting them be healing. You don’t have to hold all of this together. God isn’t asking you to do that. He isn’t a cruel taskmaster that is expecting you to burnout. Yes, he is calling you to sacrifice. But it is a sustainable sacrifice. It’s not one where you’re entirely consumed apart from His presence. Start there. Acknowledge that and then consider a few of these practical tips.

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Fuel

Eat, drink, and be merry. Okay, if you’re a Baptist that means grape juice, but seriously let yourself enjoy the goodness of God’s creation. Allow yourself to rest and replenish. Take a nap.

Embrace rhythms of rest. Commit to a Sabbath day each week. That means an intentional break to care for your body, mind, and spirit. Don’t make it rigorous and a burden. Don’t do this out of law but as an invitation from the one who said, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Watch your diet and exercise. Yes, the cans of Mt. Dew on my desk make me a hypocrite here.

Preach the gospel to yourself. That means that you’re reminding yourself that your goal is to abide in Christ and not your efforts. Resting in God’s grace can create quite the bonfire.

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Heat

Slowly read the Scriptures: Consider picking up a different translation of the Bible than the one you normally use and walk through the Bible slowly. No reading through it in a year or anything like that. Just read it for enjoyment. I’ve found The Message is particularly helpful here.

Stay connected to community: Have some friends over. Engage in a time of worship. Do the “people” things that fill you up instead of draining you.

Do a different kind of ministry: If you’re already engaged in a ton of ministry, be careful with this one. But if you aren’t actually doing a ton of ministry—maybe jump into something unfamiliar. Or get around people who are new in their faith. That’ll certainly spark some joy.

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Oxygen

Revisit your why. Look at your calendar. Why are you doing the things you are doing? Is it out of obligation? Does it come from a place of joy? Should it come from a place of joy? Maybe you need to cut some things.

Unplug from social media. That’s usually a good idea. But it’s probably smothering your spirit. Spend time in the Word, prayer, or something else.

Pray and journal: Simply get before God and get honest. Let him know you’re burned out. Put on some music that inspires you, grab a pen, and just write out what is going on in your heart. That unburdening might give you some oxygen so the fire can be fanned into flame again.

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