Burnout. That's a scary word for those of us who are familiar with it. For me, it was something I saw firsthand when I was a teenager. I hadn't realized it at the time, but my Dad had been running on empty for a while. And then, it happened - burnout.
Many of the memories that I have of my Dad were of him working behind his desk writing messages and Bible Studies. He dedicated himself to serving God as a pastor to his flock, and he was motivated to teach them the great truths of the Bible. He would spend hours crafting his messages and studies so that others could understand what God has revealed to them through His Word. I respect my Dad for his dedication, and it is something I try to imitate in my own life. God created us to work (Genesis 2). As a pastor, we are instructed to diligently work to handle His Word rightly (2 Tim. 2:15). And that takes a great measure of time and effort in our study. As I reflect on how my Dad pastored, it seemed that a lot of the work fell on his shoulders. I'm not sure what the reason was for this. Perhaps it was that it was difficult to find volunteers? Or maybe it was because my Dad felt obligated to do the tasks? Whatever the case, he often carried the majority of the workload. But when I think about it, my Dad had always been someone who carried a heavy workload. Years before his burnout, he had gone to school full-time, worked at a gas station full-time, and spent time with his growing family. It was a heavy burden to carry. After he graduated, he continued to have a heavy workload. A church's workload, combined with the parental responsibilities of raising a growing family, is no small burden. Add to that the financial worries of providing for your family, and it increases even more. That's the weight that my Dad carried throughout his time as a pastor in his early years. I'm sure you can relate to this in some degree. Many parents carry the workload of their employment plus the responsibilities of raising and providing for their family. You know the weight that this is to carry. It's not easy. But is there a way that this can be alleviated? Often the hard way is the only way some of us learn. And for some strange reason, that's especially true of the Hanson clan. My Dad would learn the difficult way how to handle this weight. Before my Dad reached his breaking point, he experienced the loss of his sister Linda. Though there was an age gap between them, they were pretty close. She was one of his encouragers and supporters. They would spend time together chatting, sometimes for hours. My Dad watched his sister fade away as she fought her battle with cancer. He would come as often as possible to see her in the hospital until one day; she was gone. This was a dark day for my Dad. One that he didn't often talk about. My Dad's solution for dealing with grief seemed to be to bottle it up and not show others how he felt. So add this emotional weight to his other stresses, and it seems like a lot to endure. And it was. He was at his breaking point. What would you have done at this moment? Would you have pressed on or stopped to regroup? My Dad went on to serve another church. He continued on the path that he was familiar with until that path led him to complete physical, emotional and mental exhaustion. That's my Dad's story. And as a youth, it was scary to see this. Under the stress and pressures of life, my Dad went from working behind his desk to bedridden for months. He had lost his strength, and his health deteriorated until he lost half of his body weight. The burden was too much to carry, and he wasn't able to continue on that path. Something had to give. My Dad learned some fundamental lessons as he was lying on his bed, one of which being the importance of rest. As I grew up, he would often say that two hours were taken for every hour he put in extra. He would then warn us to take time to rest. The older I get, the more I realize how similar I am to my Dad. I also have a strong desire to work, and I need to make sure that I rest. Rest is just as important as work. And there are times when we need to stop to refresh our mind, body and soul. God emphasizes the importance of rest in the creation account. God is infinite in power. Meaning he can create the universe in a single day if he had determined to do so. And had he done that, the effort he expended would not have left him exhausted. Yet we read that God works six days to create the universe and rests on the seventh. What he was doing was showing us a pattern to follow. And to further highlight this, he blessed the seventh day and set it apart from the others. God doesn't simply want us to work, He wants us to rest as well. Being overworked doesn't do us any favors. It brings us to our breaking point. As I continue to reflect on what happened to my Dad, I have learned a few more lessons so that I can avoid burnout.
Burnout is a difficult thing to see people go through. It was difficult for me as a youth to see my Dad go through it. But there is a way to avoid it, and that is why I share these things with you. I hope they help you deal with the stresses, pressures and burdens of life.
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