How She Got Her Groove Back

'But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord , take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. ' - 1 Kings 19:4-5,7-8

Ok, so, admittedly, I have never watched the film ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’ so I actually have no clue what it’s about, but it sounded like a great way to talk about burnout and recovery.

As someone who is always doing something, it’s unsurprising that I experience bouts and periods of extreme overwhelm. And as I've been thinking about my journey with burnout and recovery, I was reminded of the story of Elijah and his experience of the same. Hence the scripture used above.

Elijah’s experience teaches us that extreme fatigue shows up in different forms; Physical, Emotional/Mental and Spiritual, and can be due to different experiences; extreme highs, extended periods of lows, after long periods of ministry etc.

Physically; Elijah had run, a full day’s journey into the wilderness, with no food or water, after fleeing someone who was after his life. Think about it, If someone is chasing you and threatening your life, you will most likely run at full speed; not a light jog or a quick walk.

Emotionally; Elijah was afraid of Jezebel, and discouraged as he believed that he ‘alone was left of the prophets of God’ (1 Kings 18:22, 19:10). His view was distorted, his heart felt hopeless and that alone can take a major toll on your ability to stand strong in the face of adversity. Also, Elijah was by himself, which  speaks to the fact that travelling the journey of life solo can also be draining - when there’s no-one to encourage you.

Spiritually; Elijah was just coming from an intense period of spiritual work. He has just raised a child from the dead, confronted a king, killed the prophets of Baal, proven God to be true amongst the nation, and interceded for the restart of rain. He had poured everything he had out and now he felt empty. Periods of intense and prolonged spiritual work are exhausting.

But we see this so often with God; He met Elijah where he was and addressed every area of his fatigue. First in the angel of the Lord encouraging him to sleep and eat, and then in the mountain when He asks ‘what are you doing here Elijah? [...] I have preserved 7,000 prophets who have not bowed a knee to Baal’ (1 Kings 19:9,13 & 18). He rested him, fed him, encouraged him and then sent him back out. ‘And [Elijah] went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights’.

Which is exactly what God does and desires to do for us.  

In Worker’s Meeting last week, we took a Fatigue/Burnout test and tallied our scores - the scores linked to our nearness or distance to burnout. And whilst my score was relatively high, I was able to reflect on the fact that I was actually scoring lower in some places than I previously would have, had we done this test months/years ago.

Letting me know that I am in the process of healing my burn out.

Rest is also worship. As much as we passionately serve others, serve in ministries, work full time jobs, have our side hustles, go to school etc - whatever stage and season of life you’re in, this will be my constant reminder to you. Rest was the first thing God called Holy and what He specifically created for us (Mark 2:27). He cares about every aspect of you and all your ‘wellbeings’.

Therefore, building godly habits are spiritual and key to help you avoid, limit or bounce back from burnout or overwhelm quicker.

For me, some of the following help me:

1. Rest routine: at least once a month I try and have a rest weekend; no plans are made with others. I either sleep all weekend (remember, rest is worship!), pick an activity I enjoy (more on this next) and essentially do whatever I want to do.

2. Activities: when life gets ahead of you, sometimes we cut out things we don’t deem “necessary”, going back to those things you enjoy, increases serotonin and sparks joy. For me it can be; going to an immersive experience, museum, the theatre etc

3. Community: leaning into your friendships can also be really replenishing. I have a tendency to go into isolation when I’m feeling overwhelmed. But getting the girls over for a girls night, dinner, games night, etc can really do something for your mental health.

4. Boundaries: this is a huge one! If you’re a recovering people pleaser like myself, bruh, this is a huge one. Learning and maintaining your yes or your no, will definitely matter. When you say “yes” to something, you’re ultimately saying no to something else. And when that yes interrupts your rest, you will have to learn and maintain your no.

5. Spiritual Check-In: I read somewhere “In some cases, what we think is spiritual warfare could be spiritual hunger”. For me, that meant, check yourself, are you spiritually depleted? Have you been in your word, in prayer, in meditation on scripture etc? These are fuel for your spiritual health, which will inevitably impact your overall wellbeing.

It isn’t a perfect science, and I still experience days I feel the overwhelming heat of the fire, but these are things that enable us to receive refreshing from the Lord, in every season.