Winning the Battle of Exhaustion

Sometimes it is really nice to get away. I did that this weekend when I spent time with a married couple/good friends that I have not seen in a year. As I was talking to them over lunch one day, one of them told me that she thought it was awesome that I am doing so much. She said that most people really don’t do a whole lot.** I had to laugh. Yes, I am doing a lot, but at times I wish I were doing less and being able to live efficiently. There is a point in time when you try to do too much and you feel wiped out all the time. I realized that’s what was happening to me. I was in a negative ministry setting, I was reading between 200-400 pages of homework a week, trying to maintain friendships, and I was working a thankless job where I felt emotionally beat up a lot of times. I became exhausted.** I know that I am not the only one, there are many others out there that do this. The sad thing is, that this mentality can be glorified and encouraged sometimes when it really needs to be dialed down. When someone has boundaries about how much they do, it can be painted as selfish or anti-social.** This is why a balance needs to be struck, it is healthy and needed. I find that when I am feeling drained, I become more frustrated with negativity, I don’t think clearly or communicate well at all, I tend to become curt towards people to avoid saying damaging words, and most experiences with people leave me feeling depleted. This is unacceptable for me as a Christian leader, and that is why I generally try to have good boundaries with my commitments.** This revelation of my struggle with exhaustion dawned on me in church. The pastor was talking about James 3:1, and how teachers are judged more strictly. This is not just verbal, but teachers also teach by example. It hit home to me that the example that I live may not be a good one, because I spent way too much time feeling depleted. It is not a lifestyle I advocate, but I was unfortunately living it.** So what I thought about was how we as Christian leaders need to set the tone for good boundaries. We need to realize that wearing yourself out is not something that needs to be glorified, instead it needs to be discouraged. We need to let others know that they should never do more than they are capable of, but we have to live it as well.** I do have to say, that it feels nice to be able to turn down the noise in my life and get away. Having ADHD, my mind is a beehive of activity and I learned that I need to find ways to be at peace. This is not just reserved for vacations, but it can happen by being able set aside time for yourself every day and to be able to just be quiet. It can happen by knowing when to turn the TV, computer, Radio or phone off. It can happen by being smart with your money and getting released from the bondage of debt that hovers over you. It can happen by taking a semester off of school to save money and to pursue something that you are passionate about.** There are many ways to go about this, but I would encourage you to be able to find a way to seek rest in life. I am still finding ways to go about this, but for starters I am going to be working on my counseling degree at a slower pace. I am going to find a job/ministry that utilizes my strengths. I am going to seek out life-giving ministries and friendships in my new home. I am going to try to eat better and sleep earlier. These are just some ideas, and I hope that I will be able to hear some success stories from you as I seek to become a success story as well!