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June 16, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Moving Beyond the Ashes, by Phil Ware
[Special Note: This article was written ten years ago. As I see friends
in ministry struggle and as I recognize my own need for spiritual
renewal and am away for bit of rest, I have returned to this article
for my own good, and hopefully for yours as well!]
A drought across much of the country left our forests vulnerable. After
a few lightning strikes and a few careless campers, what was once lush,
beautiful forested mountainsides now are scarred, ugly, and burned out.
The eerie remains of the brutal fire mar the landscape. At first
glance, these once gorgeous forests look hopelessly lost to flames.
They are burned out and burned down. Yet history teaches us that given
time and the right rains, the forest will return. It is a message those
of us involved in ministry and service to others need to hear.
Those involved in serving others often find themselves feeling much
like the charred remains of a once beautiful forest. Either the
challenge of the task, or the well placed attacks of Satan, has left
them depleted and vulnerable. Life takes a turn for the worse, and they
find themselves feeling empty, used up, useless, and burned out. What
can you do when sleep does not replenish your sense of exhaustion? What
do you do when you don't have the energy or will power to quit but
dread every sunrise which reminds you of your inadequacy and failure?
What do you do when you're spiritually burned out? I believe the story
of Elijah offers us some insight on this difficult problem (1 Kings
18:1-28 & 1 Kings 19:1-21).
Immediately following Elijah's great victory over God's enemies at
Mount Caramel, his life was threatened by evil Queen Jezebel. He ran
for his life. Jezebel had killed hundreds of God's prophets during
Elijah's time. He ran from her threats. He ran until he fell exhausted
and defeated. He collapsed ... a burned out wreck. He had fallen from
the height of ministry's mountain to the valley of ministry's despair.
But God's grace led him to a better place. Elijah's recovery offers us
some insight for our own way back from spiritual depletion, burn out,
and exhaustion.
The first step? Elijah was honest with God. He told him the
frustrations and discouragement of his heart (1 Kings 19:4). He whined
and moaned and felt sorry for himself in the presence of God. While I'm
not big on anyone having a pity party for oneself, it is necessary for
us to be honest with God and with ourselves, about how we feel. It may
not be right or righteous, but it is where we are. So often we don't
feel we can be honest with God, so we are never honest with ourselves.
The way back from flame-out is honesty with God and with ourselves --
honesty about our limitations, our frustrations, and our inadequacies.
Quite often, however, we can't be honest with ourselves until we've
been honest about our own unrealistic sense of self-importance. Being
honest in the presence of God reminds us how petty our perspective
really is in the grand scheme of his work in the world.
Next, Elijah rested and received nourishment (1 Kings 19:5-7).
Emotional exhaustion and depression can often lead us into poor eating
and sleeping habits. Before we're ready to attack the challenge of
going on, we often need to get some rest and nourishment. As we pause
and acknowledge our need for refreshment, God gives us spiritual
refreshment as well. We see this same principle with Jesus and his care
for his disciples (Mark 6:31-32). Spiritual depletion and physical
exhaustion often are related.
Elijah then went to a place where he knew God had been real to his
people (1 Kings 19:8). For Elijah, this was a special mountain on which
God had once appeared to his people. For us, it may be rekindling our
prayer time, our listening to Christian music, going back and visiting
a spiritual retreat, or seeking prayer time with an old friend. The key
is putting ourselves in a place where we know God has acted and blessed
his people before. Yes, we know God can act and reveal himself
anywhere, but the act of submitting ourselves to him and reconnecting
with our spiritual past is often vital for us as we seek to reawaken
our heritage.
In addition, Elijah waited on the direction of God for his life (1
Kings 19:9-13). He wanted to experience the presence of the living God.
He knew without this encounter, he would not have the strength to go
on. For us, this probably means dedicating ourselves to time in prayer,
the reading of Scripture, and connecting again with spiritual friends.
Often we are like Elijah, wanting and expecting to see God in the
dramatic and awesome revelation of his power. Yet more often than not,
God's presence in our lives is revealed in more subtle ways as we
submit ourselves to him and wait for his guidance. This frequently
comes to us through the words and companionship of a trusted friend; a
sermon spoken as if it were just for us; a well timed song's message
which we need to hear to awaken a spiritual memory; a piece of
Scripture we read or remember which speaks directly to our need; or a
bit of especially relevant reading material we "just happen across" as
we are waiting for God to show his will in our lives. God's "still
small voice" can be heard, but only if we seek him and are open to his
many ways of blessing us.
There is no magic formula.
Finally, Elijah left that place and invested himself in the future of
his people by carrying on his ministry and involving another to follow
in his path (1 Kings 19:15-18). Elishah carries on Elijah's great faith
and ministry so God's work goes on after Elijah returns to God. Often
the cause of burn out is our own misguided and unbalanced sense of
indispensability. When we invest ourselves in others, we let God remind
us that his work will go on without us and after we are gone. It is not
our ministry, but God's that is important. Recognizing that we minister
to honor him, not to bring honor to ourselves, helps us involve others
in the work of God. This revitalizes us and insures that "the torch is
passed" to a new generation of servants for the Almighty.
While there is no magic formula for a return from burn out, we need to
realize God has done a great work through others after they have
collapsed under the weight of ministry. He can do that work in us as
well. The charred remains or our present can often be the beautiful
place of God's redeeming work if we will seek him and let him restore
life after burnout.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Many things can contribute to our spiritual burn out:
* Overextending our ministry to the point of exhuastion and fatigue
* Unaddressed sin in our lives
* Not having partners or apprentices to help & invest our time
* Trying to do ministry all by ourselves while not equipping others
* Having an over-inflated estimation of our importance and ability
* Losing touch with God in regular quiet time
* Direct and relentless opposition from the devil or others in our
community of faith
* Family and health crises
* Serving in a survival-focused situation where we see no immediate
reason to hope things can change
So which of these is hardest for you and which is your biggest threat?
Is there something else you have found that leads to burn out not
listed? How have you seen that at work?
I'd love to hear from you on my blog about this!
http://www.thephilfiles.com
---------
(c) 2008 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Run and Don't Burn Out
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200609/20060912_burnout.html
* Come Away to Quiet Place
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200706/20070618_quietplace.html
* While I Sleep
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200706/20070625_sleep.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200806/20080616_beyondtheashes.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
Award-winning artist Tomlin offers a whole new set of soul-inspiring
easy-to-sing songs about God's faithfulness.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
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