Burnout Is Soul Abuse: Stop the Cycle and Recognize the Warfare

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” — Isaiah 30:15

Hi dear sisters,

There’s a lie we often swallow without even tasting it: If I’m busy enough, I’m being faithful. If I say yes enough, I’m being obedient. If I’m tired enough, I must be doing God’s work.

But what if that’s not faithfulness at all? What if your burnout isn’t just poor time management or overcommitment — what if it’s a form of soul abuse?

This isn’t a term I use lightly. Author and spiritual teacher Barbara Brown Taylor once described her own ministry burnout as exactly that — a violation of the soul’s limits in the name of serving God. When we override the whispers of exhaustion, dismiss the nudge to rest, and bypass the sacred boundaries of our humanity, we don’t just burn out — we erode the very soul God asks us to guard.

And sometimes, this erosion isn’t just internal. It’s spiritual warfare.

The enemy doesn’t always attack with storms and shouts. Sometimes, his strategy is more subtle: Wear you down before your breakthrough. Flood your schedule. Numb your heart. Replace intimacy with activity — even if it’s “ministry.”

Stop. Listen. Ask:

• Why are you so weary, soul?

• What is draining you in this season?

• What am I doing out of obligation, not obedience?

These are not productivity questions. These are spiritual discernment questions.

Languishing: When the Soul Feels Flat

Maybe you’re not falling apart — but you’re not flourishing either. You’re just… going through the motions.

That’s not laziness. That’s languishing — the quiet, heavy fog where motivation is low, joy feels distant, and even rest doesn’t feel restorative. It’s not clinical depression, but it’s not peace either. And the longer we stay there, the more vulnerable we become to soul abuse — pushing through when we should be pausing.

Interrupt the Cycle: 3 Small Acts of Defiance Against Burnout

1. Pause one commitment — just for this week. Let something go without guilt.

2. Delegate one task — you don’t need to carry it all.

3. Say no — not forever, but for now — so you can say a deeper yes later.

Burnout thrives in the soil of chronic hurry. Flourishing grows in stillness and surrender.

What Does Biblical Flourishing Look Like?

“May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless…” — 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Biblical flourishing is not about achieving or performing. It’s about being made whole — spirit, soul, and body — through the ongoing, sanctifying work of God.

Flourishing is rooted in:

• Abiding in Christ (John 15)

• Rhythms of rest and work (Genesis 2)

• Bearing spiritual fruit (Galatians 5)

• Living for God's glory, not human praise

It's the opposite of living on spiritual fumes. It’s being anchored in peace, nourished by grace, and empowered by the Holy Spirit — even in hard seasons.

Chronic Hurry Is Not Holy

Hurry has a way of hollowing out the soul.

We say “yes” to too much, and slowly drift from God’s voice, God’s pace, and God’s peace. But Jesus never hurried. He withdrew often. He walked slowly. He said no. And He rested — even while the world kept spinning.

You are allowed to follow His example.

This Week, Let Isaiah 30: 15 Lead You Back

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

This is not just poetry. It's a strategy. A spiritual weapon in a culture of burnout. An invitation to breathe again.

So:

• Choose rest.

• Choose quiet.

• Choose to slow down — not because you're giving up, but because you're finally listening.

Return to the One who never asked you to hustle for His approval. Let that be your strength.

In stillness and grace,

Kia

Everyday Rhythms