Almost a year ago our nation went into lock down mode along with much of the rest of the world. In-person meetings were suspended, social events canceled, and we all learned to Zoom. As we near the anniversary of that harrowing time, it’s such a blessing to see our nation reopening as the vaccine is rolled out and case numbers decline.
One of the benefits of last spring’s shutdown, however, was the immediate release from busyness. Although some workers became more stressed due to the nature of their jobs, many were relieved to have schedules suddenly cleared to enjoy more time at home. Virtual learning, however, quickly demanded additional hours and supervision from parents so the reprieve for many was short lived.
As most everyone will agree, the pace of life in the twenty-first century is much too fast. Keeping up with work responsibilities, financial obligations, social engagements, and even church events often relegates family relationships and personal well-being to the bottom of the list that never gets reached. The result is increased stress, strained marriages, and exhausted bodies.
This reminds me of the way that a pack of wolves takes down a healthy moose. An adult moose can easily outrun the wolves which do better with short sprints than long marathons. So they employ another plan. Instinctively knowing that many large mammals will run in a huge circle, they station themselves around that loop to take over as each succeeding wolf tires out. A fresh set of legs keeps the moose moving until he is too tired to continue and eventually succumbs to their ferocious teeth and hungry stomachs.
It seems that the devil too uses this strategy to bring down even the strongest Christians. What he may not be able to accomplish with delicious temptation, he achieves with weariness and burnout. Much of this can be self-inflicted when we fail to say “no” to increasing requests and expectations. Many times we don’t want to let someone down or disappoint them so we continue to take on more and more only to find ourselves exhausted and fatigued.
Psychiatrist Robert Cole was cited in Our Daily Bread devotional months ago as describing a pattern for burnout. The first sign is weariness which hounds us relentlessly if we don’t consciously address it. Then cynicism sets in followed by bitterness. Like wolves around a circle each of them await their turn to take up their leg of the chase.
Cole indicates that bitterness is followed by despair which in turn leads to depression. The last wolf in the pursuit is burnout which then moves in for the kill. A once strong productive servant of Jesus succumbs to successive, yet unseen, adversaries. Because we often don’t know anything else to do, we keep running until we can run no more and then collapse in anguish and defeat.
Anyone who has served the Lord very long has likely noticed this pattern in their lives. We must be self-aware enough to realize when this vicious cycle begins and consciously take steps to break it before we reach its tragic conclusion. Scheduling down times, vacations, and intentional breaks helps to prevent this as does keeping God’s command regarding the Sabbath.
Sadly, we sometimes are foolish enough to think this will never happen to us. That somehow we are different than every other person who’s ever lived and that we have the ability to keep going without rest or recharge. Only too late do we wake up and discover the wolves gnawing on our soft underbelly.
As the pandemic winds down and as our world reopens, let’s be sure to schedule and guard our Sabbath times for self and family. Let’s not be guilted into believing that periods of rest are unproductive and wasteful. And let’s avoid the thinking of the moose believing that we can outrun the relentless and destructive wolves, and somehow succeed where everyone else has failed.
Trying to live it out, George