Wonderfully Helpless

As an athlete, musician, and as an American, the “Nike-esque” cultural philosophies and motivational phrases are etched on the walls of my mind.  Such things as:

• “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”~ Walt Disney
• “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful”~ Eric Thomas
• “Believing in yourself is the first secret to success” ~ Anonymous

Such quotes attempt to give a fresh nuance to the age old progression of, “we have to try”; “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”; and “if that doesn’t work, try harder, don't give up”.  These little motivational nudges are attempts to inspire a “winner’s” attitude and unlock some undiscovered potential we never knew we had that is hidden deep within ourselves.

However over the years and especially recently, as I’ve studied God’s Word during devotions and in preparation for different teaching opportunities, I’ve detected a common concept that absolutely goes against everything the motivational speakers tell us.  WE CAN’T DO IT!  Let me just show you three quick examples:

• James 3:8= “But no human being can tame the tongue...
• Romans 3:20= “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight...”
• Romans 9:16= “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.”

Now, some of you out there, particularly those who are not Christian may be tempted to either pity me for low self-esteem or provide a counter argument, defending the ideal that there is a direct correlation between accomplishing our goals and the amount of effort we put into them.

I don’t know about you, but I know I cannot see that truth in my human experience at all.  As a high-school student I played volleyball with consuming passion and devotion.  Never won any trophies or titles; in fact two years in a row our team got to the championship and lost to the same team, a team that both years we had beaten earlier in the season.  

From the time I was in fourth grade, my life, in gradually growing degrees, was dedicated to music.  I played with passion.  When I turned sixteen, I began writing my own songs and dreamed of being a successful singer/songwriter/musician.  I practiced, and wrote constantly.  I networked to the best of my ability and pursued excellence in my craft.  But for those of you who know me, despite having written many songs and having continued to pursue excellence in the art of music, I do not believe anyone would describe me as a successful singer/songwriter, except for maybe my mother.  

Lastly, for two years in college I was consumed by an addiction to pornography.  I hated it.  I didn’t want to be held captive by something I knew was absolutely wrong.  So, I made commitments with all the sincerity I could muster, had accountability partners, followed the suggested multi-step processes etc. Still I found that my desire and effort, even to do what was right, was not enough to actually make it a reality.

So, in all of these areas of life, I came to a point where I felt utterly helpless.  I couldn’t understand why the goals I had set all of my being towards still escaped me, even though I did everything I knew I could to attain it.  That seemingly hopeless state actually revealed a greater hope:  A hope in God.  Not in the “God helps those who help themselves” kind of way, which is, by the way, a false teaching, but in the “God has mercy” way of Romans 9:16.  He does not give mercy and grace to the hardest workers, or those who want it the most, he gives it to those who are broken and humbly come to Him.

When I finally got that, it was the most freeing thing I have ever experienced.  My life was no longer about proving myself and constantly striving to catch the wind until I finally broke down.  I discovered that life is a gift, and everything in it is a gift of mercy to be embraced.  My failures led me thankfully to the cross in worship because I was not defined by them anymore.  My successes provoked worship because I knew that I did not deserve them, nor could I have attained them apart from the grace of God.  For a man can reach for the stars, but he will never hold them in his hands unless God were to pluck them from the galaxy and set them at his feet.

I understand that for those of you who have not been exposed to or are not at a place personally where you want to accept this reality that this message may not be what you wanted to hear.  But I promise you that it is by the merciful design of God that we experience true freedom when we accept that we are truly helpless and turn to Him.  And in experiencing the freedom, grace and love of God, that becomes our source of motivation, drive and passion that spurs us on to work diligently for His glory.  But, that’s a blog for another time.

Battling Burn-Out

   Isaiah 40:28-31

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

BUT they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

            Ever since God called me to ministry as a teenager, I have been regularly confronted with the issue of “burn-out”.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the lingo, it refers to the idea of serving to the extent where you crash and cannot continue anymore.  This idea is not just relevant to those in vocational ministry; over the years I’ve realized it seems somewhat like a “boogie-man” concept among Christians in general.  I know early on, as I served in the church, there was always this thought in the back of my mind that I needed to watch out and make sure I didn’t take on too much or else I’d get burnt-out.

            As I continued serving, I heard story after story over the years, of people who had served in the Church until they hit the end of their ropes. Many ended up losing faith all-together as a result.  As I went through college and into ministry afterwards, the archives of tragic tales began to combine with the experience of witnessing people fall into that same fate around me.  In response, I became somewhat paranoid because I knew that my calling and my inherent tendency to go all-in to whatever I invested myself in, made me a “high-risk” person.

            So, over the last few years ”burn out” has become something I wanted to understand, not just in terms of trying to figure out the personal reasons why people declare themselves “burnt-out” but what the Bible has to say about the subject.

            First thing I found was that there are no Biblical accounts of “burn-out”.  Now of course such a phrase as “burn-out” probably wouldn't make it into Biblical vocabulary, but from Genesis to Revelation, there are no accounts of people who are called by God to do something and at some point abandoning that calling.  Now, I don’t think that means that it did not necessarily happen, but what I see is an overwhelming evidence of the faithfulness of God in sustaining his servants.  There may not be stories that allude to some kind of form of early church burn out, but I do see an abundance of charges and promises that fight against the current that pulls people towards that end.  The passage above is one of them.

            There are two parts in particular that stand out to me in this passage.  First, there is a complete disclosure that the tasks we face are more than we can handle.  The task is life in general.  The passage is totally honest about the difficulty, stating that even youths and young men, full of energy, potential, and passion will fall short.  The task will prove too much for the most capable of us.  But this only reveals the miraculous nature spoken of in the second part I’d like to highlight:  The Promise.  Depending on the Bible translation you are reading, verse 31 states that those who trust, hope or wait on the Lord will renew their strength.  In the most basic terms, those who place their faith in and rely on God find not just a one-time refill, but a continual recharging of their spiritual batteries.  Trust in God proves to be the way to tap into an infinite and divine power source.

            In the last few months this verse has been one I've clung to and recited many times in a plea to God for the strength to get through the tasks before me.  However, as I've had conversations with many compassionate people around me who look at my life and the things that I have on my plate, they often caution me to be mindful of the risk of burn-out.  They express it in different ways, but I know the thought behind it is a sincere concern and coupled with the hope that I would not take on such a burden that I would be crushed beneath it.  As I have pondered on those conversations, the counsel I've received and what scripture says, my hearts perspective is this:

            Man was made to work and work hard and with excellence (Colossians 3:23).  God has shown time and time again that he equips those whom he calls, and the grace and means he provides are sufficient (ex: Moses, Gideon, Paul).  What I do see is that burn-out in every instance I've heard or witnessed is a direct connection to a disconnection from the promise of Isaiah 40.  I know in the conversations I've had with those who have reached that point that trust or hope in the Lord was never something they displayed.  But what I have seen and experienced is that those who take God at His Word (even though they find themselves in over their heads on occasion), and relentlessly trust the Lord, receive God’s provision of the resources and grace needed to press on according to the call they have received.

            For me, the only end to a life of service I see in scripture, which all Christians are called to, is the end of life itself.  I know I am still young and there are far greater burdens that I will most likely have to bear in this life, but what I do know is that scripture is full of promises and God has shown his faithfulness to fulfill them. This faithfulness combats the doubts and fears that typically lead to burn-out.  For example: Matthew 5:3-10, 6:25-34, and 11:28-30, just to list a couple from the Gospel of Matthew alone.  The sovereign faithfulness and goodness of God far exceeds the difficulties and challenges of that which he has called us to do.  It is more than we can do on our own, true, but that’s the glorious point.  When we obey the calling of God in our lives we have the privilege of being constantly sustained, empowered, and equipped in miraculous fashion as the surpassing power of God is put on display in the midst of his work in and through us to accomplish that which is otherwise impossible.  Such is the upward call of God for those who are living in Christ and are being conformed to his likeness.  There is no greater purpose, cause, joy or reward.

            I say this not to make light of those that are serving self-sacrificially and find themselves weak and weary.  My intent is not to disregard the struggle with a wagging finger saying, “shame on you if you’ve ever considered yourself on the brink of burn- out or completely burnt-out”.  No, my prayer is that if you find your souls in that position, you would know that you are not alone in this struggle. Be encouraged that together we, the Church, live in light of the presence and promises of God because the world and the Church is in desperate need of those who will not grow weary from doing good (Galatians 6:9).