One Tuesday morning, the alarm screamed on my nightstand. I smashed snooze three times before begrudgingly getting out of bed. I woke up after a solid eight hours of rest just to experience something awful. I was more tired than if I had just skipped sleep altogether. My head was pounding like a hammer. My eyes were covered in red webs. Even my bones felt sleepy. I didn’t have mono, a cold, or a rare string of flu. It was much harder to treat; I was burned out.
Have you ever been there? I’m sure some of you have. Maybe you feel lonely in a crowded room, experience emotional numbness when you want to feel something, or even face a vague sense of dread wherever you go. This could be burnout. The dangerous thing is that burnout leads you to withdraw from those who care about you. Isolation can quickly become a dangerous situation.
There’s a story in John 4 that takes place after Jesus travels thirty hours out of his way to meet up with a Samaritan woman getting water in the middle of the day. We know that she was purposely avoiding people because no one in their right mind would be out there at that hour in the middle of the desert. This woman found herself at the end of her rope. She was shunned by society, brokenhearted, and living a life of isolation.
Jesus casually asks for some water. No, He didn’t travel nearly two days for a drink. He wanted to reveal a life-changing truth to this woman. He explains that He offers “living water” (John 4:10). This is the kind of encouragement that never goes away; it is a well that never runs dry. “The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty’” (John 4:15). Jesus extends the same invitation to you, too. He is inviting you into a life-giving relationship with Him.
Burnout happens when we are running on empty, but Jesus offers us a path towards fullness & fulfillment. Burnout can be a blessing when it brings you closer to the ultimate source of life: Jesus. Just like He did for the woman at the well, Jesus will go to great lengths to help you. You don’t have to change your location for Jesus to change your situation.