Burnout came with a rush in late April 2005. It forced me to embrace a new operating system. My brain changed the way it worked, overnight. It hasn’t been the only overnight transformative experience I’ve had (so many of us have had them!) but it caused me to immediately reassess how I lived and moved and worked. It forced me to become skilled at saying ‘no’, though I’m not always assertive enough in applying it. But when I brush up against my limits, I either need to be assertive in saying no, or the pressure quickly builds beyond reasonable levels.
One thing I’ve learned, because I’ve had to learn it, is that vulnerability (or surrender) in the moment of feeling overwhelmed is the counterintuitive response I most need.
I always feels very awkward
when I reach my limit.
when I reach my limit.
It’s always hard to admit it
when I don’t have the capacity I wish I had.
when I don’t have the capacity I wish I had.
It feels exposing and even embarrassing, like I do not like to be weak, and to feel like I’m a pushover, is crucifying for my ego. Pride never likes being humbled. Never, ever. We never get used to the process of surrendering, but we can learn invest in the bank of experience; to trust God’s faithfulness to hold us aloft and alive in our spiritual poverty.
To be spiritually poor is to be immensely rich.
It’s crucial we apply this strategy when we feel weakest and most vulnerable. If we don’t, we hurt ourselves and others.
Provided we’re safe, embracing our vulnerability is the answer when we’re overwhelmed. If we’re not safe, to get to safety is the major priority.
Photo by Joel Overbeck on Unsplash
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