“What you are doing is not good.”
As I wrestle with the question of, “How in the world did I end up like this?” (burned out), the answer is painfully obvious: I am working too much. Put another way: I am not getting enough rest.
Jethro is right when he tells his son-in-law, Moses, that “what he is “doing is not good…The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone” (Ex 18:17-18). A few verses earlier we find out the Moses is doing his best impersonation of a workaholic, going at it “morning till evening” (v 13).
And here I am, thousands of years later, making the same mistakes by ministering with little or no break. It is a good bet that Jethro would agree that only taking three vacation days in three and a half years of ministry are the actions of a madman. And working seven days a week, month after month will eventually end in a core meltdown.
Like the cliché says, it does not take a brain surgeon to figure this out. For goodness sakes, even Jethro Bodine knows that “What I am doing is not good.”
Oh how I wish I could say with a straight face, “Well, unlike Moses, no one warned me about what would happen.” First and foremost, there is my wife who, bless her heart, has refrained (thus far) from saying, “I told you so.” And there is an elder and good friend who has warned me several times about the dangerous path I have been pursuing.
As a result, the only reasonable defense is stupidity. Of course, one can also muster up the old reliable, “But there’s so much to do and too little time” argument. And let us not overlook perhaps the most overused defense of all: “It won’t happen to me.”
Well, guess what, it did happen to me.
Because of that, it is time to take a cue from the Apostle Paul: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14).
While these verses may be pulled out of context, the application for this 21st century burnout is to figure out how to solve the problem, not dwell on it. Not surprisingly, this preacher thinks there are three key points. Frankly, each of them is a “Well, duh!” because of how obvious they are.
1. Focus on priorities
Since preaching and teaching are my primary areas of giftedness, and since that is what the church needs the most, these are the “must-dos.” Any other duties above and beyond these essentials are “nice-to-haves” but cannot be allowed to negatively impact these priorities. “No” will have to become an important new word in my vocabulary.
2. Take time off
That is, use all vacation days allotted and take at least one—and sometimes, gasp, two—days off each week. Moses needed to have his workaholic ways challenged and so does this preacher. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint, so only those who pace themselves will survive.
3. Educate the elders
The men responsible for oversight of the church need to know about these important decisions. If they are not supportive and in agreement, especially with the above priorities, there may be problems.
How in the world did I end up like this? By working too much and not getting enough rest.
How do I get myself out of this mess? By doing just as my fellow workaholic does, as recorded in Ex 18:24: “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said."
When Jethro speaks, people listen, including this preacher.
When Jethro speaks, people listen, including this preacher.
