Millions are Saying ‘I Quit,’ but You Can Renew Your Strength
What if you could muster the energy to soar again?
You are in good company if you have asked yourself, “Should I quit or try to stick it out for one more season?” Millions of workers in search of more money, happiness, or flexibility are in the midst of saying “I Quit.”
Our world is beginning to show signs that it is emerging from a global pandemic that has lasted a year and a half.
I have surmised for some time that an upheaval of this magnitude would lead masses of people to leave their jobs, churches, and schools.
The time away from the office gave employees a fresh perspective on what they want out of life.
Church members disagreed strongly with the way their leaders handled mask mandates and social distancing.
Parents grew increasingly despondent that their kids were not learning at school.
Leaders are likely as weary as their employees, church members, and school constituents.
There are likely good reasons why a departure may be justified. Before you say “I Quit,” perhaps you should ponder if you may need a season to renew your strength.
Exhaustion leaves you limited choices
There is a high probability that you are burned out and ready to throw in the towel. Mustering the energy to make one more worthy push feels exhausting.
Developing a strategic plan feels impossible because everything has been unpredictable for so long. You just want some certainty.
If you are a leader, your team is likely out of sorts and frustrated.
Your constituents are coming at you with gloves off and filters removed. The vitriol is poisonous, caustic, and nasty in ways you have never witnessed before.
The weight of a world without dignity and decency has drained the last ounce of energy and vision that once bubbled over freely.
It feels like you possess a limited set of choices that will take you to an unhealthy place.
You can continue to be a peacekeeper and do everything within your power to avoid the fight constantly coming at you. The risk is an inner turmoil you will not be able to turn off at night. The anguish and dread will greet you when you wake. Burnout or depression will be inevitable.
You can go low and get dragged down in the fight. Engage in tit-for-tat, eye for eye, and a steady habit of punching back. The culture of your institution will become combative and uninhabitable for your employees and members. You will not like the person you will become nor will anyone else.
You can self-medicate with a little too much alcohol, painkillers, or by looking for some tantalizing and risky personal excitement. In a moment of weariness, you will destroy your career and potentially lose the people that mean the most to you. What feels good for a moment can lead to a whirlwind of destruction.
You can move on. Quit. Go in search of greener grass. Sometimes engaging a new set of problems is more energizing than dealing with the same old ones. You will have to decide what kind of legacy you want to leave at your current institution.
There is one more way. You must figure out how to do it ASAP.
You can make the choice to try to soar again
TODAY is the day to begin rising above the chaos and the vitriol that threatens to undo the good work of our institutions.
YOU must lead. You must become the bigger person. You must refuse to be dragged down to despising your attackers. When they go low, you must go high.
You, dear leader, must cast off fear. Uncertainty is crippling but it does not have to immobilize you.
Every organization needs a north star, fixed, immovable, a shining light in the darkness. You have been vested with the call and authority to dispel the chaos.
You must be renewed to love again. Learn to love your mission again, to love the people you serve, to love and care for your team. They are weary too.
Today you must figure out how to rise above. Your people need the light, life, and love of leadership to restore hope and vitality. You cannot afford to wait for it to flash in like a beam from heaven. God has placed you in the seat of leadership.
God can renew your strength
How do you muster the energy and resources to lead in a time when you are exhausted and ready to give in?
There are times when we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps with enough discipline and sheer force of will. You might be able to pull off that feat for a time.
Weariness is very human. Sometimes our tank gets empty and there is nothing left internally to get us moving.
In times like these, we need help from outside ourselves. A simple word of encouragement can fuel our engine to run a little longer. It is actually quite amazing how energizing encouragement can be. You should try it with your spouse, kids, employees, or members.
There is a vital source of human energy and fuel though that only God can give.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31, NIV)
Imagine recapturing that energy, vision, and excitement you possessed when you first started. You once were bubbling over with enthusiasm and hope when you were newly married, started a new career, or joined an inspirational church.
The Lord is the great Renewer of strength. God is watching for weary people who have tried everything else. He never turns away those who come to Him empty and spent.
Those who come to God as their last hope will not leave exhausted and tired. He will renew their strength.
You must carve out space in your calendar for renewal
Stop making excuses that you don’t have the time for self-care. We are exhausted and empty because we likely have developed poorly balanced life rhythms.
How often have you said you don’t have time for prayer, exercise, reading Scripture, or taking a day off? Refuse to find a new rhythm and you are making the choice of exhaustion.
What is the status of your inner life? Are your thoughts full of doubt, criticism, fear of confrontation?
Healthy organizations are led by healthy people. What are you doing to care for yourself?
Perhaps you are so worn out that you need to figure out how to take extended time off. If that is impossible, you will have to find another way.
Practicing a weekly sabbath is a great tool for personal renewal. God gave us one day out of seven for rest and renewal. Go for a walk with a loved one. Play a game. Pick up an instrument or a new hobby. I started learning calligraphy to force me to slow down.
Now that we are all finding ways to work from home, the lines are getting blurry. Set boundaries. Turn off your phone and put it away. Don’t linger on social media or get dragged into unnecessary drama.
Eat meals with your family. My wife and I don’t allow phones at the table. I tend to be the offender of this rule and quickly get warranted rebukes from my children. Have conversations at the table. Care for that little precious flock under your care at home.
Leaders who have a chaotic home life will have an organization that mirrors that dysfunction.
Embrace a little mystery, look deeper, and worship. It should be abundantly clear that a God-less world is a dark world.
This universe is a massive mystery, full of things unknown. Don’t be so prideful and hardened to the prospect that God can renew your spirit. Consider what Blaise Pascal said,
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”
Worship turns our hearts away from the chaos of the world to meditate on the God who loves us. Daily and weekly worship in community lifts my eyes, causes me to express gratitude, checks my motivations, and gives me hope that this life is not meaningless.
You, dear leader, are not alone in this universe.
You are about to run without growing weary
The organization God has gifted you to lead needs to be united and uplifted. People are paying attention to your attitude, words, and manner.
You CAN run again without growing weary because God is ready to renew your strength. Make the choice today to put your hope in that great Strengh-Renewer.
Imagine the ways you could rise above the very things that exhaust you.
You would have courage to confront a caustic bully.
Standing your ground on a wise, caring decision might be the order of the day. A line might need to be drawn in the sand, lovingly, clearly, and boldly.
You could winsomely open the door of invitation for others to join your cause. You will also need to be prepared to open the exit door to ask stubborn and defiant people to move on.
You may find a spirit of sacrifice that helps you place the needs of other people ahead of your own.
You must be the organization’s north star. Shining with bright and persuasive clarity will only be possible if you have an inner life that looks, not like the tumultuous seas, but smooth like a glassy sea.
Out of this calm, inner peace, you will lead with light, life, and love because God’s strength is fueling you.
One final suggestion on daily rhythms
I do my best to nurture a deep, loving, spiritual inner life through daily self-reflective practices early in the morning. These daily practices are my most steady source of spiritual renewal.
I read Scripture because I need to hear God’s voice in the noise and find reminders of His love.
I pray because I need to voice my troubles to God and need divine assistance. Prayer helps me remember I have limited control. I pray for difficult people lest I try to angrily control them myself.
I confess my sins because I fail often, don’t want to be a hypocrite, and desperately need the grace offered to me in Jesus Christ. This empowers me to be a person who shows grace in a world that has become punishing and unforgiving.
I listen to music of all kinds but frequently listen to worship music. Music is very spiritual for me and quickly accesses the recesses of my heart. The movements, progressions, and beauty does something to me.
I keep a daily journal because I need to reflect on my own thoughts. I write down how I am feeling, what is occupying my mind, my prayers, plans, and other random ideas.
Nothing is worse than a leader who lacks self-awareness. Don’t be that person.
About every 30 days or so, I go back and read through my journal. This single exercise helps me to see personal trends. It is like seeing a visual map of my heart’s journey.
The most powerful thing about this exercise is that God speaks to me through it. I see patterns of issues that need to be addressed that I may have avoided. I hear a symphony of daily whispers where God has been calling for me to have courage to make a hard decision or to remember that hope is not lost.
You are not alone my friend. God is with you especially when you are empty.
Take heart. God’s strength is coming your way.
