Sometimes we live as if faith were a project to check off. Recovering from spiritual burnout is key in recapturing a life of joy.

When you’ve got two small kids under the age of five, every morning is a scene stolen from the movie, GroundHog Day.  Like clockwork, the TJ-and-CJ alarm goes off right before sun up.  Hubby and I roll out of bed, and like well-programmed robots, shuffle downstairs to the kitchen, extract slices of bread from the freezer, and pop them in the toaster.

On this morning, I was ambitious.  I wanted my toast just right. I like my bread toasty brown, right at the cusp of being burnt.  It’s the perfect shade for melting butter and sweet blackberry jam.

To master this feat, you gotta walk on the wild side.  Without relying on the preset time controls, I go manual and pop up the toast before it’s too late.

This morning, though, I overestimated my breakfast skills.  I got lost checking my email and tweets on the kitchen laptop and plumb forgot about the toast!

Three year old TJ had been waiting patiently at the table for his morning grub, but now he was starting to lose it. “MOOOOOMMMEEE!   I’M HUNGRY!  Is my breakfast ready?”

TJ is the kinda kid you do not want hungry.   So, with a flick of the wrist, I scraped the burnt toast, sending black crumbs into the sink.  Slapped on butter and jam and served it up.

“Here, TJ. Eat this first and I’ll scramble up some eggs.”

As I start heating up the frying pan, TJ shouts an inquiry,”Hey, Mommy.  Is this toast burnt?”

“Why?  Does it look burnt?  … Just eat it, TJ.  It’s good!”  I’m walking the fine line between truth and lying by omission.

TJ isn’t so convinced. “No, Mommy.  It’s not good.  It smells bad.  It smells burnt.“

As I dumped the cardboard-like toast, I was reminded how I sometimes handle my faith walk the same way.

New Bread for Renewing Faith

Recovering from spiritual burnout is key in recapturing a life of joy.

We try to live life as if faith were a project, with goals to check off.

Before you know it, we lose the spring in our faith step, going through the motions, borrowing our joy from yesteryears.

We smell like burnt toast.

It’s easy to scrape off the burnt crumbs of our self-driven lives and look like we’re doing just fine.  We might even tell ourselves it’s good enough to just get by.

It’s time to try some new bread.

Ways I detox from spiritual burnout:

1.  Fast from doing things out of obligation. Feast on doing things out of love.

This is a big one for me.  Sorta comes with the territory being the oldest child with a single parent upbringing.  What little we do out of love outweighs the big things we might attempt without it.

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”  Romans 13:8

2.  Unplug from saying “yes”, when I really should say “I’m sorry.  I’m gonna have to pass.  Thank you!”  Smile. Breathe.  Change the subject and talk about the weather.

“But let your statement be, `Yes, yes’ or `No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” Matthew 5:37

3.  Opt to spend time with just a few friends over big group social activities.

Jesus was around crowds a lot, but He always made sure to spend time with a few of his peeps: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.  And don’t forget about Peter, John, and James.

“A man of {too many} friends {comes} to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  Proverbs 18:24

4.  Enjoy alone activities that feed your soul.

Whenever I take the time to be alone, it feels like a soothing breeze that blows through the house on a quiet day.  Whether it’s reading, taking a nature walk or just sitting on a park bench with a cup of java, it’s all good.

God is the one “who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy”. 1 Timothy 6:17

5.  Is this productive or fruitful activity?  I choose fruitfulness.

Sure, I can do it, and the results might look great.  But, what spiritual fruit would I be planting seeds for?

“I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit –fruit that will last.”  John 15:16

6.  Make loving Jesus the only priority.

This is my ultimate litmus test whenever I consider adding or taking something off my plate.

Does X help me love Jesus more or does it diminish my energy or desire to do so?

I don’t care how spiritual the wrapping an activity or endeavor might look.  If it minimizes my love relationship with God, then it’s not for me.

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:14

Care to share your burnt toast stories?  I’d love to hear them!

What do you do to avoid smelling like burnt toast?

This post is Step #3 in the Babysteps to Recapturing a Life of Joy Series!
Step #1:  Laughter Can Be the Best Faith Medicine
Step  #2:  My Simple Pleasures List
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