I have been dealing with really low energy levels for a long time now. While I've finally gotten a working diagnosis (CFS) and am working with my naturopathic doctor on some factors she thinks contribute to it (sub-clinical hypothyroidism, adrenal burnout, progesterone deficiency, and iron-deficient anemia), I still have much more to learn. We wore ourselves out on our first term serving in Tanzania. I did way too much and my stress levels were way too high for far too long. So long in fact that it wore out my adrenal glands! It's more than just being tired, my body (stress hormones in particular) literally burned itself out.
Biblical, Sabbath rest is something I've been meditating on for a while now. What can we do to live healthier, more balanced lives both here and in TZ? We've been trying to focus more on Sabbath rest as one aspect of that balance. We've been more diligent about our Sabbath Rest for several months now and we're trying to really guard our time as much as possible. The trick has been resting from the activities that make us tired and that we do throughout the week. For me that's cooking, cleaning, homeschooling Micaiah, email, facebook, and all the other ways that I correspond with our friends/family/partnership team on a regular basis. But we still need to eat, so how legalistic should I be? It was helpful to remember that the Sabbath is a gift. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27) So it's not about keeping the law, it's about resting and doing what is best for me and my body. So we still eat on Sundays, though our food is a lot simpler (cereal, sandwiches, leftovers, etc.) and takes a lot less time/energy to prepare. We just try to keep in mind that the day we take away from work/responsibilities is our chance during the week to refresh ourselves. This will get more complicated when we do presentations at churches and home groups on Sundays or ultimately when we (eventually) return to Tanzania. Church there-- in our second language and in a culture that is often tiring to us-- is not restful. And yet it's important to be part of the local community, so what do we do? Those are questions for another day, but perhaps there are options to take a different day or to alternate in some way between Saturdays/Sundays or whatever. But they're important things to consider to protect our family from burnout
I ran across
this post that blessed me so much and made me thankful to know that I'm not the only one asking these questions. Is it better to burn out than to rust out? What do you think? Is that just another area where we are too culturally biased to see what Scripture so clearly teaches? In our experience, it is true that burnout is a very real thing among missionaries. I would say that it is more disruptive to missions when missionaries don't take care of themselves. The chances of them burning out or getting sick (many sicknesses are brought on in times of high stress) at the most inopportune times are high.
A few weeks ago, God comforted me through the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18-19. After defeating the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel, Elijah was exhausted. Jezebel sent men to kill him, and Elijah was alone, afraid, depressed, and exhausted. He wanted to die and was in need of deep Rest. What blesses me most about this story is how tender the Lord is to Elijah in his time of need. He came to Elijah. He sent him food and water (physical needs). He gave him time and opportunity to talk about why he was tired and depressed (emotional needs). And then God Himself met him there (spiritual needs). I love knowing that I serve the same God and that He also cares about my physical, emotional and spiritual needs/rest!
-JLR
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