by Nafisa Kennedy, Director of Option Line
Have you ever felt hemmed in by the pressures around you? A mile-long to-do list with deadlines by the end of this week and a meeting schedule with no margin…Budget woes, an interpersonal conflict on your team, Board questions that you’re not sure how to answer…And let’s not forget that when you get home from the office today, there will still be dinner to cook, laundry to do, and bills to pay, and as much as you wish they would, the coach is not canceling your little guy’s practice tonight (hockey mom, here!).
Truth be told, anyone can handle that feeling for a few hours…maybe days, or a few weeks. Catch up on that to-do list and you notice the stress leaving your body like steam from a release valve on a pressure cooker. Unexpected income above and beyond what you thought you needed takes away those budget worries for the moment—hallelujah! When that hour, day, or week is over we rejoice and thank God for His grace, strength, and provision; which, by the way, is always more than we could ask, think or hope!
But what happens when those pressures become your every day?
In this critical season of pregnancy help, combined with economic stress, political uncertainty, and increasing hostility toward our movement, I sense many of us are experiencing the reality of life in a "pressure cooker." In such a season, platitudes about self-care such as “If you don't have time for self-care, you need to make time,” “Take time to rest,” and “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” do little to alleviate the pressure (no matter how true they are).
We can add exercise, hobbies, and gratitude journaling to our to-do list. Sure, we can work on our sleep schedules, make coffee dates with friends, and reserve spa days. But during some seasons of life, even those (healthy) choices may be impractical or, worse, ineffective at combating burnout. So, what do we do?
When we realize our own resources are depleted, and we have to keep moving, we must walk in the strength of the Lord. It is wise to do this before our own strength is depleted, but when we are in that "pressure cooker," there is simply no other option. To do this requires a few steps.
- Come to the Lord. Pray, seek God in His Word, and listen for His voice.
- Learn from Him. Discern what He is asking of you in this season. Is it possible that some aspects of that to-do list were not in His marching orders for you?
- Trade His yoke for yours. This requires daily, intentional trust in Him and regular gut checks of “Am I walking in my strength or His?”
How do you know whose strength you are walking in?
We will know by the lightness of our burden.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”
- Matthew 11:28-30
When we are on the edge of burnout when we are feeling the pressure of all that we think we’ve been called to do…If what you are carrying is creating so much pressure around you that you cannot bear up under it, could it be that you’ve picked up something the Lord has not asked you to carry?
As we faithfully carry out what the Lord has called us to, let us not forget Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you.”
