Are You Immune To It?

I hope that you are immune to it, but my guess is that you're not. I'd like to think that I have surrounded myself with friends and family who never experience it, but my hunch is that almost everyone I know has. Do I speak of some life-altering disease, some gripping force of darkness? Well... yes, and no! I'm talking about burnout.

It's extremely hard to for me to admit it (especially to myself), and even harder to share it (with everybody else), but for the last three weeks, I'm in an everyday battle with burnout. It's been intense, painful, frustrating, and exhausting.

Knowing what the Word says, hearing God's whisper to my heart, receiving great counsel from Godly friends, and trying to stay close and clean to Jesus are all a part of the battle plan to fight it, but I'm still getting clobbered.

I'm hiding in a cave, moving out of hiding only when the risk of staying in the cave becomes more dangerous than crossing the battlefield running full throttle behind my shield. I'm too discouraged to fight, too distracted to think, and too tired to run, except to run away from the battle. I can't sleep at night because the battle I fight all day continues in my mind all night. As the battle grows more intense, I'm more a frightened worrier than a fierce warrior.

That being said, if I've only learned one thing in this life, it's that apart from HIM, I can do nothing. I have no confidence in me, but supreme confidence in HIM. I don't trust myself, but HE is trustworthy and faithful. I can't, but HE can.

It's amazing how much God cares for us. He never promises an easy path, just a faithful companion. It's also amazing how HE knows exactly what we need each day to walk that portion of our journey. Listen to what he showed me for today...

Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

"To become like Jesus you must go through all Jesus went through: loneliness, fatigue, temptation, hurts. No shortcuts to maturity!" Rom 8:17 via Rick Warren

"When God wants to make a mushroom he takes 6 hours. To make an oak tree he takes 60years. Which do you want to be? Be patient!" Ph.1:6 via Rick Warren

"You can be a THINKER without ever DOING anything, but you'll burn out as a DOER if you don't schedule time to think." Ps.77:12 via Rick Warren

"the minister who is available ALL the time won't be worth much when he is available." - via Adrian Rogers

Thank you Lord for loving me in spite of me!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip