How Much Should I Serve? Avoiding Burnout While Honoring God

Hey, thanks for sending in your questions. This week in service, we took a look at James 2:14–22, that well-known passage that says, without works, faith is dead. Mandy shared her testimony for our This Is My Story series, and her testimony talked about how serving others and serving in the church helped draw her back to the church and helped lead her to a deeper faith in the Lord.

If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to check it out. We are reminded that we are called to serve and to do good works. Good works will not and cannot save us, but we serve because of what Christ has already done for us. Serving not only blesses those who are served, but also blesses the one who is doing the serving.

So the question was asked, since we know we are supposed to serve, how much should we serve? How do we balance serving in multiple areas or feeling called to fill every single need while avoiding burnout? Or put another way, what does healthy, sustainable service look like in a season when life already feels so full?

And I think I know where this question is coming from. Someone who serves so faithfully and so relentlessly, who sees endless needs around them all the time, but also doesn’t want to neglect family or friends, or even wonders sometimes, am I allowed to go do something I just enjoy or do something for fun when there’s work to do and people who need help?

And unfortunately, like so many of these questions, there isn’t a clear black and white answer. It’s the standard, well, it depends. But here are some thoughts to ponder. Service and good works is another form of worship, just like singing or giving. Just like giving and other forms of worship, serving and doing good works is relative to your ability.

Some can give a lot, and it’s really easy for them. Others can’t give very much, and it’s a big sacrifice. John Piper, when he was preaching on giving — I believe he was preaching on Malachi 3 — described the New Testament teaching on giving as proportional. Not necessarily a legalistic 10%, because it was related to giving, but proportionate to what you have and what you are able to give.

And that proportion should be sacrificial. Other forms of worship are the same. In the Old Testament, during the sacrificial system, there are multiple passages — Leviticus 5 and also Leviticus 12, just as a couple of examples — that describe proportionate offering of worship.

A lamb or a goat was required for sacrifice for the offering. But if they could not afford a lamb or a goat, they could bring two turtle doves or pigeons. And in at least one instance — I’m thinking of Leviticus 5, for example — if they could not afford two turtle doves or a pigeon, they could bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour.

Then Jesus adds context for the New Testament believer: the widow’s mite, or the widow’s offering. Do you remember that story? Mark 12:41–44. And it goes like this. And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.

And he called his disciples to him and said to them, truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. Again, the idea is not a legalistic or specific amount or ratio for giving, or in relation to our question today, in relation to serving. But it’s proportional to our ability.

Just like with giving, a multimillionaire who drives a new Porsche every year, who tosses a hundred dollar bill in the box occasionally, is giving less than the person who has very little but gives sacrificially from their heart. I would apply the same principle to serving. The single parent working a full-time job plus a side job to make ends meet, who serves in the nursery once a month, is probably giving proportionally more time than the person who sits at home and scrolls Instagram all day.

It’s not a competition about who can serve more or give more or worship better. But just like worship, it depends on our motivation. We serve because of what Christ has done for us, not because we have some sort of guilt or because we think we will get something out of it. We serve, we give, and we worship, and we do good works because Christ gave all for us.

So how do we balance serving and meeting the abundance of needs, and balance that with burnout? I don’t know. But if you’re approaching burnout, slow down. At the very least, don’t take on any more new projects for now. There will always be more to do later, and you will never meet every single need.

So feel permission to take a breath. But if you find yourself with tons of free time and you end up filling it up with empty activities, there are many ways you can serve. Serve the community, serve those in need, serve here at the church. Do something. Start somewhere. The bottom line is, only you know for sure in your heart where you are between these two extremes. Pray about it.

Seek wise counsel from someone who knows you well. Make sure you are serving somehow and somewhere. But don’t think that you can do it all. That’s why we’re a community — so everyone can do a little to spread the load. Works and service will not save you. But remember these last two words of James 2.

So also, faith apart from works is dead. Thanks again for sending in your questions. Keep them coming, and we will see you next time.