From Burnout to Strength
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage… They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.” *
Al and I joined millions of other viewers around the world on Saturday afternoon, May 30, 2020, to watch the television coverage of the launching of the Falcon 9 rocket as a combined effort of NASA and the commercial venture Space X. It was quite an exciting moment as the rocket ship lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Extensive coverage had been given ahead of time about the two astronauts on board, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley—their training, preparation, friendship, families… We felt as though we knew them. And so, as the countdown ensued toward lift off, we held our breaths and prayed.
At lift off, the rocket shot off the launch pad and flew towards the heavens, carrying its precious cargo. After a few minutes, the rocket’s flare could no longer be seen, its fuel having been used up in two stages to propel the spacecraft through the earth’s gravitational field.
There was another breathless moment when the “Falcon 9” disengaged from the spacecraft and dropped back to earth, as the “Crew Dragon Endeavor” continued upward where it would dock with the International Space Station after an 18-hour journey. The excitement and joy of the people from NASA and Space X could be felt even in our living room. Such a great achievement and so inspiring!
What a tremendous amount of fuel is burned up, what energy is released during the launching of a rocket. It was quite spectacular to watch before the “burn off” stage.
There’s a similar expression to “burn off”— “burned out!” We use it to describe the state of being exhausted physically or emotionally. My husband Al’s surgery in June, allergy problems, fewer hours of sleep and grieving over all of the hurt in the world combined to drain me physically, mentally and emotionally. By mid-august I was burned out! No fun!
During that time, Al and I participated in an outstanding online lecture on Monarch butterflies. The naturalist who conducted the seminar described their entire life cycle using video clips and photos from her own observations. The stages from an egg laid on a milkweed leaf to caterpillar, from caterpillar to chrysalis and from chrysalis to butterfly were explained in detail, including how to distinguish a male from a female!
She raised several butterflies in lightweight cages at a nearby nature center, putting a sticker on their wings before releasing them in order to identify their patterns of migration. It would take four generations of the delicate creatures to complete one migration cycle from Michigan to Mexico and back.
One Saturday morning, we were standing on our driveway visiting with friends when a large monarch fluttered down upon the blossoms of a butterfly bush. Our friends who had also participated in the online lecture wondered if it was male or female?
What inspiring creatures they are! How they have the stamina to fly thousands of miles each spring is beyond me, but they complete it in huge numbers, making the trees appear orange in color from a distance.
So, what has refreshed and revived me from this period of being burned out? More sleep at night and physical healing have helped. Also, observing the monarchs and God’s handiwork in creation have been like a fresh breath of air: a tiny ladybug that was resting on Al’s pillow; the doe and her fawn walking down our busy street as though they were in the middle of a forest; the flock of wild turkeys feeding around our family’s cottage in northern Michigan… oh the wonders of God’s world!
All of these things, in addition to receiving comfort from God’s Word, have given me new strength for the next stage of my “pilgrimage” as I follow Jesus day by day. Thank you, Lord!
“This is my Father’s world and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought…this is my Father’s world, O let me ne’ver forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.” (“This Is My Father’s World,” Malthie Babcock, 1858-1901) *Psalm 84:7 NIV