Notes from Arch Hart on BURN OUT 1/10/04

Whom am I becoming before God?? God has not called us to be successful but Faithful! Success is the Bonus for being faithful. In ministry. we are the servant. We have made the mistake of defining the church as a Business.
Burnout and Stress are different. BURNOUT is emotional exhaustion. We give all and never see results...a Demoralization.
STRESS is primarily physical exhaustion. Overuse of your adreneline. The body being pushed to the edge which leads to anxiety and depression.

II. Cor 4 says to 'NOT LOSE HEART'... Is interpreted as Burnout...because we are neglecting our person.
We are vulnerable vessels - Clay pots that are fragile
Idealists are the ones who burnout. No matter how much they try, there seems to be no respons of success. Pushed to the edge - can give no more.
**Sometimes burnout is God's plan! The only way He can get our attention** WHEW!! this hits home!
Burnout - 1) Acute - sudden in onset . Things suddenly change and you are becoming demoralized. They don't lose faith in God, but they come to believe that God doesn't care any more. Depression sets in. Important resources are gone - feeling of abandonment.
2) Chronic - Slow - enough to be aggrevating. Series of accumulation of lots of little things. Ministry is a vocation of loss. Lack of affirmation. Sometimes stress comes on so slow that you just don't recognize it. Depression sets in and it is difficult to recoup.

Steps to Prevent Burnout or Recover
1) You cannot do it alone. "Bear One anothers Burdens" Reach out to someone else
2) Takes time to regain confidence in God and restore trust in yourself.

**God works in failure! In final analysis, there is no such thing as failure, just FORCED GROWTH!!** Another WHEW!