Burnout: No Going Back

While I’m in recovery and gaining more and more energy most days, I realize how easy it could be to slip back into my old ways. I want to do so much, but I can’t. I’m limited. And God must come first, then my family. I must keep this new perspective.

“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.” – Proverbs 26:11

I don’t want to be a fool.

When we crash and burn, there is always a lesson to be learned. I think burnout hurts so much and recovery takes so long so it will be hard to forget and we will be less likely to slip back up into old ways. But as I study the Bible, I can’t help but notice…it’s very human to fall back into old ways. More accurately, it’s human to fall back into relying on ourselves over God.

Perhaps, after receiving example after example of people who have failed, we begin to believe it’s not possible? But it is! If we have accepted Christ as our Savior and the Holy Spirit resides within us, we CAN learn, grow, and not fall back into our old ways.

“If you love me, obey my commandments.And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” – John 14:15-16

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27

We have a Helper!

And not just any helper. The Holy Spirit! We have God within us.

Whether you experience burnout or some other consequence for failing to obey God’s commands, doesn’t matter. Look at it as an opportunity to change and know that, unlike the people in the Old Testament, we have a Helper…the best help possible. We can do this. We can follow God’s commands, the new way, and stick with it.

Yes, we will slip up. And, if we ask, God will forgive us. But don’t use grace as an excuse.

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” – Romans 6:1-2

Stand up and try again…with the power of the Holy Spirit. Lean into Him. Yield your spirit to His. You will see improvement over time.

This has always been a struggle for me which is why Proverbs 3:5-6 is my life verse:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

Despite my struggles, as I look back at my life over the years, I see marked improvement. This life is a life of seeking God, growing closer to Him, and becoming more Christ-like–if that is the path you choose to take. Which I do. Even if you chose that path later in life. Which I did.

As long as there is breath in your lungs, it’s not too late to get on the right path.

Take every opportunity to learn and, even if you slide back a little at a time, even if you crash and burn, if you allow those dips to teach you, you will begin growing again.

Google an image of the stock market over the past 100 years. I don’t have one I can use, but here’s the overall trend.

A true graph of the stock market shows peaks and valleys, and sometimes crashes, which I would compare to burnout. But there is always recovery. And the overall trend is upward. The crashes never plummet us back to where we started.

The graph reflects our spiritual life should we choose to accept each challenge as a learning experience and, once the lesson is learned, refuse to go back to old habits. Keep moving onward and upward.

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Philippians 3:12-14

Press on…onward and upward…toward the heavenly prize.

You are loved,

J F Rogers

This is the last post for the burnout series. If you missed the prior posts, you can find them all here