We all have things we observe happening in other people (especially leaders) that we quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, declare will never happen to us.
- “I would never leave my wife for another woman!”
- “I would never steal from the church!”
- “I would never misuse my authority!”
- “I would never … (fill in the blank)!”
My “never”? I would never BURN OUT! That is the one thing that would never happen to me for a number of well-considered reasons:
- I think things through well and am very level-headed, calm, non-anxious.
- I love to sleep, napping whenever I can and sleeping in at every opportunity.
- I love my days off (when I take them).
- I am not even sure burnout is real; maybe it’s just a lazy man’s way of getting out of work.
I could go on and on. Burnout was the one thing that would never happen to me. Until it did.
I couldn’t understand what they meant when they said they couldn’t focus or concentrate like they used to. They must be getting old or something. I’m only 35!
I had no comprehension (and probably even less compassion) when it came to hearing someone say they didn’t have the energy to get out of bed in the morning. THAT is laziness!
I was at a loss when some of the strongest people I knew in my church would sit in my office in a pool of tears that they couldn’t explain. They would try to describe how the emotions were out of control and they couldn’t keep from crying for no reason. Inside, I would think, “That’s just plain weird! You need some help, but I don’t think I can give it. Pull up your boot straps and move on!”
Not in my wildest or scariest dreams did I ever think I would be in that same place. But I was.
© 2008 Paul D. Kuzma