Beating Burn-Out (Part 1)
Are you one of those Christians or Christian leaders who has a passion to pioneer new things, to break new ground, to 'push the envelope' and change the future before it changes you? Then this article is for you!
Pioneer Christians, and especially leaders, are prime candidates for the modern plague known as burnout. Pioneers create breakthroughs for themselves and others. In the midst of this process, many leaders will become frustrated with their peers, their oversight, their people and themselves.
Burnout has been defined as a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by a devotion to a cause that failed to produce the expected result. Burnout is the end result of extreme frustration, where our experience falls short of our expectation. Sadly, in many areas of the world burnout is on the rise among Christians just as it is among the un-churched.
Three things are usually associated with burnout, especially among leaders. One is a conflict of roles, where people feel pulled in many directions at once. Another is an ambiguity of roles. Some pioneer people don't know exactly what is expected of them and because they have no clearly defined goals, so they cannot measure or celebrate their success.
A third factor is an overload of roles. Some people, especially leaders, can't say 'no' to anyone. They are constantly taking on more responsibility than they can handle, until they burnout.
When Christian leaders experience burnout, the Kingdom of God cannot advance as it should. We take one step forward and two steps back.
Burnout has long been a tactic used by the enemy of our souls. He may not always be the cause - bad habits and wrong attitudes are most often to blame - but he is always waiting to use burnout to his advantage. The Bible tells us that in the last times, the enemy will use human agencies to 'oppress' the saints of God (Daniel 7:25). That word means to 'mentally afflict, to bring pain or distress.'
Satan tries to establish mastery over our minds, because the mind is the seat of the will, the executive faculty of life where decisions are made and direction is set.
Sure, burnout is on the rise in the world around us, as people grapple with ever more terrifying choices. But there is no reason for a Christian to suffer this way. Paul tells us that we can 'demolish arguments and every pretension [false imagination] that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.' (2 Cor. 10:5)
With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can actively take up the battle for the mind. We can aggressively engage against the enemy's tactics. By constant decision and effort, we can make our minds the stronghold of Christ, and every thought his subject.
Where do we start to build a resistance to burnout?
Expect and Celebrate Success.
People today often have mixed feelings about success. In many cultures (including church and business cultures) success is not applauded or rewarded. If anything, it is penalized.
In a negative environment, people come to expect failure and frustration. They are programmed to achieve only what is average and, therefore, non-threatening to others. They believe what one Norwegian author said: 'Every joy you have, you pay for with sorrow'.
These people are not looking forward to success, because they feel there'll be a horrible price attached! What happens when people become afraid of the cost of excellence and success? Mediocrity is encouraged; high achievement is frowned upon.
As we all know, true leadership is not just about building a team or an organization, it is about creating a culture -- a new way of interpreting what is right, normal and acceptable. As a leader, you have the right and the responsibility under God to promote a healthy culture in the group of people you lead - a culture that is stronger than the prevalent culture of the world around them.
Success ought to be normal in the culture of any Christian church, home or business. It should be the rule rather than exception. Jesus did 'all things well', because he did them as unto God and not for the approval of men.
When success and progress become normative, when they are celebrated, people are no longer pre-occupied with them in an unhealthy way. Success simply becomes what it should be, becomes a means to an end -- making God a name!
Leaders, before we change the culture in our organizations or churches, we need to change the culture of our minds. Here are a few things to get us started:
- Encourage success in yourself and those close to you. Expect yourself to do well, and to attract good people around you.
- Speak positive affirmations, especially the word of God, to yourself. Psychologists have discovered that we can alter our moods according to what we say. If we repeat a few lines like, 'Things are not going well for me. I am not making much of a contribution...', you will soon feel depressed. If you repeat positive affirmations like, 'I am a worthwhile person. I'm doing a great job. God's favour is on me', you will feel ready for new challenges.
- Become a student of God's promises for your future. I've never received a prophecy that didn't encourage and inspire me; I've never received a promise from God's word that didn't light a fire under me! More on this one later...
- Honour those who deserve honour. When we honour others who have achieved something great for God, we are setting ourselves up to emulate them. We tend to imitate what we most admire. Look for ways to honour people who have set an example for you. This causes you to focus on people worthy of honour, which in turn leads you to learn their skills and pick up their spirit.
- Learn to set goals and celebrate success. Set quantifiable goals to serve the vision. Goals say, 'By this date I want to be this far down the road. I want to be able to see this from my window.' Nothing motivates like success. You need to mark the major milestones in your life. Build 'altars' in the wilderness like the patriarchs of old; memorials to the faithfulness of God.
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