Almost No One Burns Out Over Too Much Work—Some Thoughts On Therapeutic Faith

Burnout, Purpose, and Cross-Shaped Calling

This article challenges modern Christian conversations about burnout, self-care, and therapeutic language by contrasting them with the self-sacrificial callings found throughout Scripture. It argues that purpose, not comfort, fuels faithful endurance while still allowing therapeutic wisdom to serve obedience under the reign of Jesus.

• Biblical calling often involves sacrifice, perseverance, and costly obedience.
• Burnout may sometimes reflect a shortage of purpose more than a shortage of energy.
• Therapeutic wisdom can help Christians when it serves, rather than replaces, Christ-centered vocation.

By Tyler McKenzie

I’m starting to wonder if the conversation about burnout has gone a little too far. Your great grandpa worked in a steel mill for 42 years. Could you imagine telling him, “I just need a little solo trip to reconnect with myself.” Your great grandma raised five kids during the Depression. Could you imagine telling her, “I’m only taking three vacations this year, and, honestly, I’m struggling.” Church people have learned how to baptize our therapeutic culture in biblical language: “I’m practicing Sabbath rest, pastor! It’s in the Bible, pastor!” To which I think, “You do know that a literal view of Sabbath in the Bible is a six-day work week, right?”

The best leadership mind I’ve ever learned from was a scholar named Margaret Diddams. She is an organizational psychologist and former provost of Wheaton College. For three hours one day, I watched her make a data-based presentation on how almost no one burns out over too much work. People burn out because their work lacks purpose. It’s not an energy shortage, it’s a meaning shortage. She argued, “Most people don’t burn out over a lack of energy. Most people burn out over a lack of purpose. If you have a purpose that you believe in, you’ll work tirelessly for it. You’ll run through a wall for it. You’ll give up everything. You’ll laydown your life.” Ever since, I’ve been wondering if all the focus on burnout has helped us or hurt us? Is it possible to become so cautious of burning out that we buffer out the purposeful work that keeps us from burning out? Have we become scared of the late nights and long days that come with doing something great? Did we become the snowflakes?

God Would Get Canceled for Leadership Abuse

As we peruse Scripture, it seems that its heroes were not all that well rested. Most of the people doing the most important work aren’t. Moses was called out of retirement at 80 years old for a 40-year job in the wilderness. David was but a young shepherd when he was led to fight Goliath and become a general. Isaiah was told to preach even though the people would not listen. Jeremiah’s work was so enjoyable he wrote a poetry book about it … Lamentations. Jonah was commanded to preach to the people he hated most. Hosea was called to give away the hopes of a normal family life and marry a prostitute. Daniel was told to pray, even though he would get thrown to wild beasts. Mary embraced her lifelong calling, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.” Even though it ended up feeling like a sword through her soul. The disciples were told over and over their calling would be cross-shaped, and they better count the cost. And of course there is Paul. I like to imagine this was spoken over him at his baptism, “Paul will be God’s chosen instrument to bring his name before Gentiles, kings, and the people of Israel; God himself will show Paul how much he must suffer for the sake of his name” (Acts 9:15-16).

What if God called you like this? … to the pain, the sacrifice, the perseverance? If we’re being honest, at best, we might brush him off as crazy. At worst, many would tell God he’s wrong for even asking! Hot take! In our therapeutic culture obsessed with the importance of emotional health and self-care, God would get canceled for leadership abuse. “He asked his workers to do what!? … With who!? … For how long!?” God asks the heroes of Scripture to violate every rule of self-care to accomplish his work.

• “Protect your peace.”
• “Guard your energy.”
• “Cut out toxic people.”
• “Set healthy boundaries.”
• “Choose people who choose you.”
• “Hold space for your nervous system.”
• “Touch some grass.”
• “Normalize saying no.”
• “Normalize healing.”
• “Normalize sunlight.”
• “Normalize three-day weekends.”
• “Normalize listening to yourself breathe.”
• “Normalize solo trips.”
• “Normalize girl trips.”
• “Normalize bro trips.”
• “Normalize choosing yourself.”

Therapeutic Faith or Biblical Faith

It’s hard to imagine God saying any of this as he calls prophets, apostles, and leaders. Just about every biblical example of someone who does something great is a story of nonsensical, all-in, bet the farm, unto death, self-sacrificial obedience!

• We say, “Set boundaries!” Hosea says, “Gomer, I’m yours!”
• We say, “Choose yourself.” Mary says, “I am the Lord’s servant!”
• We say, “Guard your energy!” Paul says, “Suffer for the Name!”
• We say, “Fill your cup!” Jesus says, “Carry your cross!”
• We say, “Heal your inner child.” Scripture says, “Time for your inner child to grow up!”

Reality is, a lot of the great things of the Bible don’t get done if Moses, Mary, and Paul hold space for their nervous system and normalize saying no. Have we gone soft? Are we the snowflakes?

Many today want a therapeutic faith, not a Christian one. A therapeutic faith is soft prosperity. It operates out of the assumption that God’s priority is to help me self-actualize to my fullest potential and maximize my happy feelings.

• Step 1 – Identify the bad vibes.
• Step 2 – Insulate from the pain.
• Step 3 – Instagram the journey.

This is the mantra of therapeutic faith. The vision is different from the biblical one. For those of you who like such things … a chart:

The prophets’ callings point forward and the disciples’ sacrifices point backward to the lynchpin leader, Jesus himself. Jesus did not cut out toxic people or keep the dysfunction at a distance. Instead, he obeyed the Father’s will, stooped down into human brokenness, then stooped down even lower and became our sin, then stooped down even lower and gave his life. In so doing, he was elevated to the place of highest honor. His attitude is the attitude we are called to take (Phil. 2:5-11).

A Theocentric Faith with Therapeutic Wisdom

Here’s the thing, when we operate from this gospel-founded Christlike understanding of vocation, we can then wisely bring therapeutic technique in. We might call it having a theocentric faith with therapeutic wisdom. There is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from the movement toward emotional health.

• There are some people who you must establish boundaries with because allowing their behavior to continue is sabotaging the larger community.
• There are some people who we ought to let justice fall on because justice can be restorative for both the victim and the criminal.
• There are some times when you need to protect your peace because you’re a frail human being whose body needs renewal like everyone else.
• There are times for a retreat or a vacation, even Jesus got caught taking a nap.
• And it’s always a good day to see a Christian therapist who can help process your emotional life through the lens of Scripture.

When we put the wisdom of our therapeutic culture under the reign of Jesus, all of the sudden it becomes an asset for obedience rather than an idol that undermines it. All of the sudden we become, not softer, but harder. Grittier. More resilient and resolute. Able to burn hotter and longer.

But it all starts with recognizing where our energy comes from … food. One time Jesus told his disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (John 4:34, New Revised Standard Version). Hang that poster on the wall of every seminary! The assignment of the Father is lifegiving. It is our food!

Author: Tyler McKenzie

Tyler McKenzie serves as lead pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He also produces a fun Bible podcast for parents and their kids called “the Preacher and the Piano man.”