Beating Burnout: Finding Hope and Health (Day 3 of 3)

Matthew 5:9 — "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

RELATIONAL HEALTH: BEING PEACEMAKERS

Stress and burnout can cause us to project our pain and exhaustion on others — usually those closest to us. Some people respond to burnout by lashing out in anger and storming around in a rage as their lives are falling apart.

Exhaustion can cause us to shut down and stop communicating with our spouse or our friends. And by "communicating," I mean both talking and listening. We no longer feel connected to those around us, and we begin not to care about nurturing those relationships that God has placed in our lives.

After not communicating for a while, resentment can develop. Our spouses or friends may not feel comfortable opening up to us anymore, and bitterness can be formed and directed toward us, toward the church, and even toward God.

REFLECT

In Matthew 5:9, Jesus directs us to be "peacemakers." It will take effort and intentionality on our part to bring balance back into our relationships. We are to make peace and strive for unity.

Have you cut off communication with people because you're feeling burned out? Write down their names and a trait you admire about each one of them. Then write down a date you will contact them, making amends if necessary.

Beating Burnout: Finding Hope and Health (Day 2 of 3)

Joshua 1:8 — "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therin: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

SPIRITUAL HEALTH: MEDITATING ON GOD'S WORD

Studying scripture is fundamental to our spiritual health. The Bible is God's Word and His instructions to us. The Holy Spirit illuminates scripture for us. In scripture, we are taught about God's character and reminded of God's faithfulness in the past. We are instructed on how to live holy lives of love, and we are convicted of our shortcomings.

I have personally struggled with consistent Bible study. My life seems to get too busy, and I honestly sometimes just blow it off because I'm running around "doing things for God." And during the seasons when I am lazy and neglect time in God's Word, I realize how simple it is to justify sin in my life. I lose focus on truth.

During the times when we faithfully meditate on God's Word, it's amazing how scripture overflows from our minds and is applied constantly throughout our day.

REFLECT

We're always meditating on something, whether it is scripture, a blog, or a conversation we're mulling over. The key is to shift our focus to scripture and truth as we go about our day. Try keeping God's Word on your mind for a day and watch how your perspective changes.

What are three scriptures you can meditate on today, or this week? What do you expect God to do when you turn your focus to Him during your day?

Beating Burnout: Finding Hope and Health (Day 1 of 3)

Isaiah 30:15 — "For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not."

REST: A QUIET TRUST

The nation of Judah was rebelling against God and not listening to His warning. He promised them salvation if they returned and rested in Him, assuring them that His strength was perfect for them. Yet they refused and instead trusted neighboring Egypt for their help.

Ruth Haley Barton in Leading in Rhythm says, "As disciplines of rest, solitude, and silence rescue us from the brink of dangerous levels of exhaustion, we are restored to a state of quiet alertness, ready to receive guidance from God about what we are to do in the world."

REFLECT

The Egyptians gave Judah horses to help them in battle — something they could see and touch. Often, returning to and resting in God requires us to have faith without tangible reminders of His presence.

Countless times in scripture we are told that it is only through Him that we can live abundantly and in His peace, whether we can see His gifts to us or not.

What things in your life are difficult to surrender to "resting in God?" Like Judah taking the Egyptians' horses, what are a few things that you find security in? What can you surrender and trust God and believe that He will accomplish even as you rest?

Why Do I Need Jesus? (Day 4 of 4)

Galatians 5:16 — "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

Did you know that Jesus paid for all your sins over 2,000 years ago? This means you're completely forgiven!

God doesn't think about the bad things you've done, because Jesus took the whole punishment for your sin on the cross! Live for God today and stop living in your yesterday.

Are you a bad person just because you've done bad things? No! Once you've received Jesus as your Savior, the only thing that matters is what God thinks about you!

God doesn't even see your sin or mistakes any more. Do you know what He thinks about you? Dig into the Bible to find out what God thinks about you!

What He says is more important than what everyone else says about you! You can talk to God and tell Him thank You for forgetting all the bad things you've done in the past.

You can ask Him to help you live for Him with all that you are.

Why Do I Need Jesus? (Day 3 of 4)

Luke 19:10 — "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.

It's hard to imagine why anyone would want to take a punishment for something they didn't do. But what if that punishment was death? Only Jesus could do that for us because He's the only one who never sinned even once.

When we behave badly and disobey God, we might wonder how God could ever love us. But God didn't send Jesus to die in our place because we deserved it. No. It's because of His great big love for us.

He knew that Jesus would come to earth as a baby all the way back before Adam and Eve ever sinned. He knew you before you were born, too! He knew everything you were ever going to do and He still chose to send His Son Jesus to die for you. He even came to save people who may seem too bad for Jesus to help.

You can talk to God and ask Him for His forgiveness and ask Him to help you forgive yourself too.

Why Do I Need Jesus? (Day 2 of 4)

Romans 3:23 — "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

You aren't good enough to be friends with God because you follow rules. You're good enough because you believe in and trust the only One who is good: Jesus!

God gave his people rules to show them the way life works best. He wanted them to learn that they could never be good enough without His help.

God's help is a gift called grace. Grace is a gift that can never be earned. We can't earn God's grace by working hard to please Him. He gives it freely. We aren't strong enough to please Him by ourselves. God's grace gives us the power to live free from sin.

It's because we put our trust in Jesus. Not because we're good at following rules. You can talk to God and thank Him for making you good enough with His gift of grace.

Why Do I Need Jesus? (Day 1 of 4)

Isaiah 53:6 — "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

The minute Eve and Adam disobeyed God, they were guilty of sin. God said there is serious consequence for sin. The price required to pay for sin, is death. Adam and Eve's bodies didn't die right away, but their friendship with God was broken. God loved them so much, He wanted them to have a second chance. He had a plan for someone to take the punishment and fix their broken friendship.

Each of us have sinned, too. We have all chosen our way over God's way. If you're reading this, God is giving you a second chance. You can talk to Him and say thank You.