Posts Tagged ‘sabbath’

Are you burned out or tired???

Posted: July 24, 2012 in faith, Ministry, spirituality
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One of the tensions that come up when the subject of burnout is addressed is the difference between being tired and being burned out. What constitutes an unhealthy feeling of overextending ourselves vs. the usual weariness that comes from doing hard work? They both sound the same but at the same time they are very nuanced states. In order to get a clearer picture on the subject I examined the life of Jesus and I saw a man who definitely got tired but never once did he get burned out.

And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. (John 4:4-6 ESV)

From the portrait of Jesus that we see in the gospels and my own experience with burnout (in myself and others) I can think of a few major differences between being tired and being burned out:

1. Tiredness is characterized by an increase in faith

Burnout is characterized by a decrease in faith

2. Tiredness means you can see the reason why you are investing your time, money, and energy

Burnout means you can’t see the reason why you are investing your time, money, and energy

3. Tiredness can be a result of doing God’s will

Burnout is a result of presumption

4. Tiredness is a result of over exerting ourselves

Burnout is the result of continuous state of over exerting ourselves

5. Tiredness is human

Burnout is a consequence of trying to be superhuman

Can you think of any other differences?

Have you ever struggled to recognize whether you were experiencing burnout or the tiredness that comes from honest hard work?

My 1 Year Sabbatical Goals

Posted: November 19, 2011 in goals, Uncategorized
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Do NothingYes I know Sabbatical and Goals don’t seem to go together. As paradoxical as that may sound there is a good reason for having goals for a sabbath. As obvious as it sounds, a year is a long time to just sit there. But there are other reasons as well.

  • You do not want to end up doing things that you should not be doing. I do not want to end up running around like a chicken with my head cut off and in the same tired and stressed place. I can avoid this by having boundaries and avoiding the activities that would disqualify this time as a sabbath
  • You want to end up doing the things that you want to be doing. I want to take time during this year to follow my heart and let me passions emerge to the surface after being buried for so many years. Already my passion for music and art has come back with a vengeance.
  • Sabbath does not=inertia. From ancient times to now the Sabbath had a purpose. The weekly sabbath was a day to honor God and rest from work. Yes even resting from work is a goal.

So my boundaries for this sabbath are simple: no long term commitments to make money and no long term commitments to full time ministry. To put it simply I will not take on a second job, start a business, or work as a pastor of any kind. Really simple. If someone asks me to speak or preach or write something then that is fine but I do not want to enter into any role that has constant deadlines that are connected to my income.

My goals for this sabbath are as follows:

  • Participate in a workout program
  • Practice a contemplative spiritual discipline (breath prayer)
  • Hike a section of the Appalachian trail
  • Practice a spiritual discipline with my wife Yvette
  • Write in blog and work on my book in order to improve my writing and learn the craft.

So those are my “goals” for this year of sabbath. What goals would you have for a year long sabbath?