This is the first of a series of articles in which I will attempt to bring a Christ-oriented perspective to the topic of burnout. This is a nuanced and multi-layered topic that cannot be fully addressed in one small article. Please bear with me as I attempt to speak words of truth and hope.

“I no longer feel anything when I see death,” a dear friend recently confided to my husband and me over the course of a double date. It was a confession in the middle of a series of similar conversations I’ve had over the past few months. Friends, people whom I love and deeply respect have been confiding in me the same thoughts and struggles. They are weary past the point of emotion.

As we slowly worked our way through a sampling of gourmet pizzas, our dear friend proceeded to express dismay over his perceived lack of feeling. It was a sentiment echoed by another dear friend. Somewhere along the way compassion had cooled to something foreign and hard. And yet, as grieved as they were about the change, they had no idea what to do about it.

And this is the question, as Christians, what do we do about burnout? Furthermore, does scripture shed any light on the topic? Is burnout an inevitable and inescapable reality for all healthcare workers?

Merriam-Webster defines burnout as “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation, usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. The World Health Organization (WHO) expounds on this understanding by defining burnout as “an occupational phenomenon, a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” The WHO goes on to explain that burnout is characterized by three dimensions:

Increased feelings of depletion or exhaustion
Increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job.
Reduced professional efficacy.

King David was no stranger to physical or emotional exhaustion and the psalms are filled with the tortured words of a suffering man crying out to God for help. Psalm 63 opens with,

“Oh God, you are my God;

Earnestly I seek you;

My soul thirsts for you;

My flesh faints for you,

As in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Weary soul, spent body, David cries out to God in desperation “as in a dry and weary land,” David “earnestly” seeks God. Again in Psalm 119, Davis says,

“My soul weeps because of grief;

Strengthen me according to your word.

Remove from me the deceptive way,

And graciously give me your law.” (Pslam 119:28-29 LEB)

There are many, many more verses we could point to that could serve as a case study of weariness and exhaustion. However as much as King Davis is a picture of a wearied soul, he is also an example of how we should respond in seasons of weariness.

When we grieve or are weary in the depths of our souls, our natural inclination is to wall off and numb our hearts. We want to protect our hearts on our own terms and in our own strength. This is a deceptive way. Rather, the faithful way is to run to and cling to God’s word.

What I mean is that we must run to scripture, yes, but also to THE WORD, Jesus (John 1:14-18). In Christ and in scripture, we can know God’s standards and commands. Day in and day out, as we immerse ourselves in the Word, we go a little way more down the path of God’s commands.

It’s like hiking in Colorado when you’re out of shape. The incline, lower oxygen concentration, weak musculature, and lack of endurance all make the event difficult. Perhaps even painful.

Like that hike, walking in weariness with Christ might be slow and painful at first, but we will find that the longer we stay on the path, the quicker our pace becomes and the more our endurance builds. Then, miraculously, our weary and sorrowful hearts will enlarge. No longer will they throb in weariness and pain, but we will find that we will be able to love even more than we were able to before.

Friend, let me encourage you to press into your burnout. Don’t carry this burden on your own. You cannot change your own heart, but God can. There is hope, life, healing and abundance to be found in Christ. Let him in. Let him care for your weary bones.

The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me by the Spirit of Yahweh, and he let me rest in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. 2And he led me all around over them, and look, very many on the surface of the valley, and look, very dry. 3And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I said, “Lord Yahweh, you know.” 4And he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and you must say to them, to the dry bones, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh! 5Thus says the Lord Yahweh to these bones: “Look! I am bringing into you breath, and you will live! 6And I will lay on you sinews, and I will let flesh come upon you, and I will cover you over with skin, and I will put breath into you, and you will live, and you will know that I am Yahweh.” ’ ”

7And I prophesied just as I had been commanded, and there was a sound at my prophesying, and look! A rattling, and they came together—the bones! Bone to its bone! 8And I looked, and indeed, sinews were on them, and flesh went up, and skin covered over them upward, but breath was not in them. 9And he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and you must say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh from the four winds, “Come, O spirit and breath, on these dead ones, so that they may live!” ’ ” 10And I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they became alive, and they stood on their feet, a very, very large group.

11And he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all of the house of Israel; look! they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is destroyed; we are cut off as far as we are concerned.’ 12Therefore prophesy, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am opening your graves, and I will bring you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you to the land of Israel! 13And you will know that I am Yahweh when I open your graves when I bring you up from your graves, my people!

Ezekiel 37:1-13 LEB

Life and Hope to Those Who are Burned-Out

The Snare of Burnout

Royal Ambassadors for Christ