From Burned Out to Blessed Up

"The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 
Exodus 18:13-14 (ESV)

How do you avoid burnout?

Stress impacts our sense of happiness, sleep quality, and physical well-being. We encounter burnout in the Bible when Moses is guiding two million of God’s people through wilderness and desert. The people are burning up at the way Moses is leading, and he is burning out trying.

Over the next two days, we will explore this story and consider two practical and spiritual steps Moses takes in order to move from burned out to blessed up.

Here’s the first step:

Honestly Evaluate What You Need to Do

Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, watches Moses from sunup to sundown as he meets with person after person, solving problems and mediating disputes. Jethro realizes that Moses, like all of us, is doing some things that he ought to delegate or release.

To help Moses evaluate what he needs to do, Jethro poses two poignant questions:

• What are you doing?
• Why are you doing it alone?

No matter how gifted you are, no one has every gift. Be honest about your current schedule and priorities, and which tasks you’re most gifted to meet. Then ask God to teach you how to live out your calling, planning your days with a heart of wisdom (Ps. 90:12).

Jethro also challenges Moses’ self-belief. Sometimes we think we are a superhero, with unlimited strength and energy for our work. But we all have limits. No one has the resources to do all that needs to be done. And when we accept our limits, we can prioritize what we are called to do.

Maybe like the gears of a clock, you are wound too tight and feel run down. The first step out of burnout is to honestly evaluate what you need to do. Consider your own gifts, talents, and schedule, identifying what only you can do, and humbly releasing others to do what God has called them to do.

Then you can begin to move from burnout to peace and blessing.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the guidance of Your Word. Help me today to honestly evaluate what I need to do, seeing where I need to embrace limits, and peacefully step into all You have called me to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.