8 Ways to Rest and Refocus When You Feel Burned Out by Serving

One thing that leads to burn out is feeling our service as an obligation. God serves others out of love and compassion, freedom and choice, not obligation. He seeks the same for us, his disciples and children. He created us for relationship, purpose, and meaning. Obligation gives us the opposite experience. Feeling we “have to” leads to emptiness and emotional exhaustion. When fatigue sets in, we must remind ourselves of his calling. He doesn’t call us without strengthening us, so the Lord’s call empowers us. God invites us to serve as Jesus did — with humility, love, and empowered by the anointing of the Spirit. 

Jesus didn’t serve for the recognition of others but responding to his Father’s voice. He also served for the good of others. Resting in his father and focused on the good of others, Jesus healed, fed, and comforted people. Even when he got weary, he continued because he knew his mission. In the same way, when we feel tired, we look to him. We remember to reject ideas of duty and embrace love for God and people. Then our service will reflect God and bring him glory. 

We serve because he first served us. We love because he first loved us. Remembering this, he shares his strength with us. Further, when we serve from God’s Word and calling, we know our work isn’t in vain. He promises to reward those who follow him and his ways, doing good in Christ’s name (Hebrews 6:10).

Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White

Since our service comes from God’s call, we must seek God’s heart for clarity when burn out sets in. God loves us and seeks our good in all things, especially as we serve, and Jesus declared his people hear his voice (John 10:27). Instead of pushing forward in our exhaustion, we should pause, be still, and ask him to reveal his will to us. God wants willing hearts to follow him, not obligated ones. We must have the permission and freedom to take a moment and pray, “Lord, is this where you want me? Am I still called to this?” 

As we said above, Jesus served to fulfill his Father’s will (John 5:30). The Son knew the Father’s will would accomplish the most eternal good, and knowing that joy set before him, Jesus willingly obeyed. We must also reevaluate our service and choices. Are we serving to obey and honor God, or are we carrying a burden he hasn’t asked us to bear? If we serve from guilt or pressure, or simply other than God’s specific leading in our lives, we act in our own strength, and burn out becomes inevitable. God’s Word contains the power to fulfill it. 

Through prayer and a humble heart, he will bring clarity, whether that is through further confirmation or what to say “no” to. He may redirect us or give us further revelation regarding his will in our current circumstance. When we seek him, he makes our steps clear.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/PhotoAlto/EricAudras

Once we have clarity about God’s specific call for us within his redemptive plan and purpose, we must choose to enter God’s rest. God’s rest contrasts with the worldly idea of rest. The world thinks of rest as stopping work altogether, a vacation. God’s Sabbath rest in Christ goes far deeper. It’s not a physical break but a continual state of peace and rest in relationship with God. The world works to find a place of rest at the end of the day, the weekend, or a vacation. God’s Word shows us a different design. Adam and Eve first knew the Sabbath rest day, and then they worked from rest, not to get it. 

Through sin, humanity lost that rest, but God gives it back to us in Christ. Hebrews 4:9-10 reminds us how, even though they had the Sabbath in the Old Testament, “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” We can experience an eternal rest while we work, no longer striving for provision or a break but from a place where we already experience God’s love, peace, and contentment before we begin anything. 

God’s Sabbath rest isn’t about avoiding responsibility or activity, but carrying these things with a different strength, from a different source — faith and the Spirit, not our own ability. This rest pre-existed us, so we can’t lose it. No one can take it from us. But we must willingly enter it humbly in Christ.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/kate_sept2004

When we start experiencing burn out, we often blame our service and ministry. However, these are only part of our overall schedule. Once we reaffirm where God has us serving through the Spirit, we should reevaluate our whole schedule. We might be saying “yes” to other things less important. Are we prioritizing what truly matters? Honestly looking at this question helps us cut out things that are taking too much energy and time from us, leading us to exhaustion and burn out. 

Jesus modeled a life of intentionality. Focused on the Father’s voice, he never allowed distractions to pull him away. He healed, taught, and ministered, but he also went to quiet places to pray and reconnect one on one with his Father (Luke 5:16). Jesus said “no” to things, whether washing all of Peter (John 13:9) or traveling to his sick friend Lazarus before his Father led him there (John 11). In a famous story, at a wedding, Jesus questions his responsibility when his mother tries to get him to help with the wine situation (John 2:4). While he eventually does help when she places the freedom in his hands, Jesus shows us how to question and challenge social pressures in light of God’s leading. 

Jesus didn’t say yes to every demand. We must also learn to filter our schedules through God’s leading, removing distractions coming from social pressure, personal ambitions, or just overcommitting to please others.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Olga PS

Our bodies and minds do need physical rest. God created us with limits, and ignoring them leads to exhaustion. Our bodies, minds, and souls need renewal, and rest is a gift from God. We don’t prove our strength through refusing to rest and working long hours. Wisdom leads us to take care of our bodies through rest and exercise. Instead of pushing ourselves past exhaustion, we should make sure our schedules include rest and exercise. 

Jesus rested and pulled away regularly. He slept during storms (Mark 4:38), drew away from crowds (Luke 5:16), and taught his disciples how to step away and do the same (Mark 6:31). If God in the flesh took time to rest, then how much more do we need it? When we overwork ourselves, even for good reasons, we risk burn out and illness. We can’t serve on empty. 

While it seems counter to rest, regular exercise also helps us rest well through reducing stress and improving circulation. Exercise releases physical and emotional tension, helping us relax at night. Regular physical exercise regulates our sleep and helps the body fall asleep faster and stay there longer. We even wake up refreshed. 

Remember to prioritize times for exercise and sleep. When we do this, we recognize God’s sovereignty and control, not ours. Rest isn’t quitting but preparing to better serve when we do.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Venti Views

Often, when we feel called to serve and find great meaning and purpose within ministry, we forget to prioritize time to reconnect with God in prayer and worship. Just like God designed us to work from rest, he created us to serve from intimacy and relationship. Each human being needs two things: intimacy and purpose. However, we get the second from the first.

The Bible says John the Baptist was a man “sent from God” (John 1:6). John had intimacy with God first, and then God sent him out. God so loved the world he sent his Son from heaven to earth (John 3:16). This is the model. And yet when we get busy with ministry and service, we can neglect time to reconnect with God. 

Our service has a goal: the good of others. And the greatest good is to call people to intimacy with God. But our service can’t lead people to intimacy if it doesn’t come from intimacy. Because we get busy, we must prioritize and set aside time to just be in his presence, to praise him, and pray, allowing him to fill us and reset our minds and hearts. 

Even in Jesus’ busiest times, he made sure he spent alone time with the Father. If he needed it, so do we. Burnout sometimes reveals how we’ve become disconnected from the source. We must pause and seek God for God and no other reason, because he is worth it. All good things flow from that.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Lordn

Part of seeking God in service is to find out how to move forward in our spiritual gifts. At first, we may not know our spiritual gifts, and we begin serving out of obedience and zeal. Over time, though, as we seek God and live in community, he will reveal the gifts of the Spirit and what role he desires for us. It’s his house, and he will build it as he sees fit. Spiritual gifts are different than natural talent. Both are given by God, but a spiritual gift is a supernatural enablement for a purpose. Every believer has at least one (Romans 12:6). 

We discover our spiritual gifts in two ways, working together. First, God reveals it by the Spirit. He opens doors and leads us to roles and opportunities. As we step into those roles and serve for the good of others, the Spirit enables and empowers. Second, the Body of Christ will tell us what they see. Our faith community should share with us, “When you do this, we see Jesus.” Those moments help affirm God’s leading and voice in our lives. 

When we serve within our spiritual gift, we experience God’s joy, power, and endurance. But when we take roles outside of our calling and gift, we struggle and strive in our own strength, leading to burn out and discouragement. Serving in our gift doesn’t mean avoiding work but investing where God has gifted us. Instead of burn out, we find renewed energy and purpose.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Monkey Business Images

Often when we begin to feel burn out, we’re viewing our service in terms of how others react, or the visible results. We get discouraged and disheartened when we believe our work must produce specific results. This is a trap. Even when we really succeed, our flesh or the Devil or the world will lie to us and tell us we could have done more, done better, and been more successful. In other times, it seems no one listens or responds. Perhaps no one shows up to an event, and we naturally wonder if we heard God right. Every minister and servant can relate to this. 

God never calls us to results but to obedience. If we measure our service by visible impact, we will grow tired quickly. The Father continually expresses throughout the Scripture how he controls the results. All he expects is our obedience. In this, we find peace and perseverance. 

Jesus often said, “To him who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15). Christ knew his role was to obey and trusted God to do the work of redemption. This is why we start from intimacy, for God alone, and move from there. 

God doesn’t share all he’s doing, and we won’t know the full result of our obedience until far after the moment or the temporary situation. When we stay connected with the Father and trust him with the results, we free ourselves from unrealistic expectations and discouragement. Instead, we can rest in him. 

Peace.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/pcess609