When You’re Facing Burnout…
“But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.’ And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’ And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, ‘Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.’ And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” - 1 Kings 19:4-8, ESV
After going against the prophets of Baal and then fleeing for his life in 1 Kings 19, Elijah was so exhausted that he asked God to take his life from him. Though Elijah had been used by God to do incredible work, he was so worn out that he came to the end of himself.
As students enter the last part of the semester, their lives have been filled with classes, SAO credits, intramurals, club activities, jobs, and social responsibilities on top of it all. In trying to keep up with all the responsibilities that culminate at the end of the semester, one may begin to feel like Elijah in this passage, with nothing left to give. There is a temptation to be harsh towards oneself and upset at one’s inability to keep up with everything going one. Many will either entirely give up or push themselves to the breaking point.
Rather than chastising Elijah to push through and keep on going, the angel of the Lord comes to minister to him by providing food and drink to him to help regain his strength. He rests, eats, drinks, and then he is ready to carry on with his journey. God acknowledges Elijah’s physical needs and addresses them. This seems to convey that God does not expect believers to just keep pushing themselves to their limit without rest and breaks, but rather that He expects His followers to allow time for rest and take care of physical needs. In the Gospels, Jesus models how Christians should approach a balance between responsibilities and rest, and he does so in a surprising way! On many occasions, it is written that early in the day, before others could notice him, Jesus went away to a private place for solitude and communion with God. He set aside time to rest and recuperate and be filled up by God rather than just keep going and working on his ministry. If Jesus, having the most important ministry in history, goes to rest, how much more so should believers rest from their daily tasks and responsibilities and make time to spend in communion with God?
As this year draws to a close, believers have a unique opportunity to make time to rest and lean into God’s embrace as responsibilities and deadlines pile up. This may look like sacrificing another thing in the schedule, but one may find that in setting aside time for solitude he/she is actually able to accomplish more than before. God desires time with you to bring your burdens to him and grant you rest. Don’t wait to come to him and miss out on this opportunity!