Ep. 138 || Mothering Through Burnout: Stewardship & Sacrifice

Sep 25

Sometimes we serve ourselves into exhaustion, and sometimes we avoid serving to keep ourselves comfortable. Neither extreme is good. Many of us have heard that we’re called to be a living sacrifice, but what does that mean? In this episode, Emily and Laura examine one angle of being a living sacrifice: burnout. While not every mom experiences full burnout, many of us believe our work proves our worth or the world depends on us. If these lies motivate us, we’ll live as though we’re limitless until we’re unable to do anything well. But a heart abiding in Christ knows we can work faithfully and restfully within our limitations, which are for God’s glory and our good.

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If you’re reading Risen Motherhood while listening to the show this week, check out chapter fifteen: The Gospel and Our Self-Care.

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We’re grateful to Crossway for making this week’s show possible. Consider grabbing a copy of Jen Wilkin’s Women of the Word to learn how to study God’s word with your heart and mind.

R|M Apply Questions:

We’re each called to be a living sacrifice—women who serve those around them with love and humility like Jesus did. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice in the everyday moments? Where do you see examples given in scripture?
We know our sinful hearts twist good things, so service can easily become about proving our worth or trying to keep the world running by our own efforts. In what ways do you pridefully rely on yourself or believe it all depends on you? Have you ever reached the point of burnout?
The specific effects of burnout will look different for everyone, but many of the heart issues are the same (even if we don’t reach the point of complete burnout). What drives us towards achievement, success, or some measurable accomplishment? Can those drives be both good and bad? How can you tell your own motivation?
Sometimes life is busy and the circumstances won’t change for awhile. But true rest is about abiding in Christ and can be done at any moment. How are we supposed to pursue rest in Christ? What has God given us to grow our trust and dependence on Christ?
We need our hearts to say “yes” to resting in Christ, but we also need the physical “yes.” What can you do to obey God’s command to rest in your life? What Sabbath changes or rhythm pauses can you make to keep yourself from burnout or to help you heal from it?

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