From Burnout to Breakthrough: What God Taught Me During My Hiatus

Six Months. That's how long it's been since my last blog post. I didn't really plan on taking a break, but life has a way of shifting our focus and our priorities. Between moving, ministry, graduation, wedding planning, and the day-to-day demands of life, I found myself burnout and progressively stepping away from writing. Every time I sat down to write, it felt forced and inauthentic. I was stressed out every week because my previous endless fountain of creativity had, well...dried up. But whether I realized it or not, the Lord taught me some powerful lessons during this break.

Perhaps you've been in a similar place. The place of constant busyness and curveballs coming at you left and right. Then before you know it, you realize you haven't been as intentional about reflecting on and even paying attention to how God is at work in your life. If that's you, friend, I hope you find today's post encouraging and can find some grace as it pertains to my unexpected hiatus.

The first thing the Lord has shown me during this season is the importance of rest and recognizing and combatting spiritual burnout. Somewhere in my busyness, I realized something: I was spiritually drained. It wasn't that I stopped reading my Bible or praying, but rather, I was on autopilot. I was just constantly going through the motions and not allowing The Word of the Lord truly penetrate my heart. I had to realize that God didn't want my routine without my repentance. He didn’t want my leftovers at the end of the day. He wanted to be the very thing that led me through my busyness and saw me through the day. Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." I had been carrying my own burdens, trying to balance everything by myself. But God reminded me that rest isn't a suggestion, it is a necessity. That is why God demonstrated it to us in the very first pages of our Bibles. True rest isn’t about getting more sleep or sitting in front of the TV for hours. It’s about spiritual renewal.

Practically speaking, I've been leaning into rest by spending unhurried time in God's presence. No schedules or time clocks, just sitting with Him and allowing Him to speak. So often, we put a time constraint on God and then wonder why we never hear Him speaking. God can't be put in a box, and He certainly can't be rushed. Another way I've been practicing rest is by talking to God more often throughout my day. In the midst of busyness, I invite God into it. I literally talk Him through my entire day as it happens. If you've been feeling that spiritual dryness, maybe it's an indication that God is calling you to slow down, breathe, and find true rest and renewal in Him again.

Going off of that same idea, the Lord has also been reminding me that worship is not just something I do as a job or a routine, it is a response to who He is. As a worship leader, I've always known worship is more than just music. But there have been moments where I've led worship while feeling weary, distracted, or weighed down. In those moments, I have to make the intentional choice to worship not based on how I'm feeling at that moment, but to worship because God is worthy of it regardless of my season or circumstances. Psalm 95: 1-2 says, "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." These verses do not say to just worship whenever you feel like it. The crazy part about this is that the moments that I feel like worshipping God the least, are often the moments I need to worship Him the most. Worship is my response to how God reveals Himself through His Word. Worshipping during our struggles takes our focus from the problem to the problem solver and takes us from a posture of panic to a posture of surrender. As a result, those moments of true, genuine worship, renew my heart even when my circumstances remain the same.

If I had to sum up this season in one word, it would be uncertainty. Moving, graduating college, and looking toward marriage has been exciting, yet scary. I've found myself asking God every day to reveal His plan to me and direct me to where I should go. And to be honest, there have been times of frustration and doubt because I don't have all the answers to what is coming next. Yet Proverbs 3: 5-6 encourages me to, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." It's so easy to say we trust God when things are clear. But in the waiting and the silence, trust becomes a choice. I've had to learn to surrender my desire for control and lean into the truth that God sees the whole picture, even when I don't. His hand is at work in ways I don't even know yet. Trust can't be a passive thing. It is an intentional, daily decision to say, "God, I don't know what comes next, but you do and that is enough for me." Trusting God in the waiting looks like continuing to pray even when answers don't come right away. It looks like stepping out in faith even when the path isn't fully revealed yet.

Looking back, I see that this season has been one of growth and trial in the fire. It's been filled with painful moments, scary moments, and challenging moments, but always filled with God's faithfulness and sovereignty. As I step back into writing, I’m doing so with a renewed sense of purpose. Moving forward, I’ll be posting once a month, at the beginning of each month, in order to be more intentional with what I share.

So, what about you, friends? What has God been teaching you in this season? If you've been feeling distant, dry, or weary, I encourage you to reflect, surrender, and give God space to renew your heart. And friends...IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!

May your roots run deep and your faith remain strong. As always, Stay Rooted, my friends! <3