The Elijah Syndrome

It happens – across every profession, with little regard for one’s age, skill or level of accomplishment. And although many of us believe we should be immune to it, trust me on this one: No one gets a free pass.

Sometimes you can identify the cause. A particularly bad day at the office. An encounter with the one person who knows how to get you riled up, no matter how hard you try to keep your cool. A presentation that goes flat, hanging out over your audience like a soufflé that collapsed as you were taking it out of the oven.

Often, though, it comes out of nowhere and blindsides you, like a summer storm that turns blue skies black in the blink of an eye.You’re left bewildered,wondering what happened to your love for what you do.

When burnout hits, it makes us wonder why we even bother. Despair, fear and resentment erode our self-esteem, until anger and worry take root and begin their slow , destructive work on our confidence and sense of purpose.

So what do you do, when your ‘get up and go’ has gotten up and left? How do restore your passion and enthusiasm for life? What can you do to recharge and refresh?

When we find ourselves in ‘Elijah Mode’ – that place where we start thinking we’re the only ones who have ever had to deal with whatever it is we’re going through – it helps to take refuge in the same course of action God orchestrated for His weary and discouraged prophet (see I Kings 19). Instead of being detoured from your purpose and comparing yourself to others, you can find our way out of the valley by:

• Getting physical rest and relaxation. I don’t know where your ‘brook Cherith’ is (I Kings 17:3), but I do know you need one – a place where you can withdraw to get the rest and sustenance you need. ‘Pushing through it’ and ‘toughing it out’ are only going to make things worse. If you find yourself staring burnout in the face, the first thing you need to do is take care of your physical body .

• Getting your feelings out in the open with God. I sometimes think we get so used to being polite with everyone we meet that we forget: God’s not buying it. He already knows what you’re feeling inside, anyway . And there’s ample evidence in the Scripture that He can deal with the fact that sometimes, we simply need to blow off some steam. He’s quite capable of handling it. Let it out.

• Getting honest about what’s really going on. Let’s face it: The root of all burnout is our inherent tendency to play God, to act as though we’re in charge – not only of our own lives, but the lives of those around us. That thinking, of course, has no connection with reality . The sooner we can be honest about it, the quicker our perspective will return. We’ll remember that God never intended us to bear the burden of control, not in our own lives and most certainly not in the lives of others.

After God walked Elijah through this process, He told him this: “Go back the way you came.” (I Kings 19:15) Burnout shouldn’t be a final destination, the scrapheap where you go when your energy and strength have been utterly depleted. There’s still life and purpose ahead, awaiting your return.

It’s just a matter of finding your way back.