Many of you reading this are instrumentalists and vocalists who just about live at church on Sunday.
If you're as human as I am, you know how easy it is to get burned out.
People who work a full week and then spend significant time on Sunday get tired! There's no way around it.
Sometimes our spirits get weary of doing the very thing that we were called to do.
How can one avoid the burn-out syndrome?
Well, here are a few tips I've learned over the past forty years that will help.
Tip #1 - Spend time with Jesus in prayer and bible study.
This is the most important thing that you can do to protect yourself from weariness. You must spend time with the Lord so that He can build you back up where you need it. If you're not doing this, your spiritual man or woman will get weak.
Tip #2 - Take a day off!
Many of us who've done this for any length of time know that we all need a day off. You take time off on Saturday, right? You can do it from church too. Here's a hint - tell them you need a Sabbath day of rest. In Mark 2:27, Jesus said: "Then Jesus said to them, 'The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.'"
In Matthew 11: 28, we read: "Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'" God also spoke numerous times in Leviticus about taking a Sabbath day of rest.
Sometimes we have to get away from something for a time to appreciate its value.
Tip #3 - Allow the Holy Spirit to refresh and renew you, especially when you're doing service work.
Paul wrote these words inspired by the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:26: "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words."
When you place yourself into service, let God minister to you while you minister to others. This way, you'll be refreshed in new ways through His power and not your own.
These are a few vital things I've learned during my walk with the Lord. You probably have a few ideas of your own or someone else has advised you.
Please, before you give up on your service from burn-out, take some time to get to know our wonderful Savior again. He's always glad to see you!
Be kind to yourself and set some healthy boundaries. This can mean different things to different people, but, you can get refreshed and renewed again with some time and some 'Savior love' as I like to call it.
May you be blessed and feel renewed as you walk through this wonderful journey of life!
