God wants you, as a Christian, to be growing continually in love (1 Thessalonians 3:12). However, this does not mean that God wants you to love others to the neglect of yourself or for you to reach a point where you are so burnt out that you are no good to anyone. So here are some principles that can help you to love people without burning out.1. Make time to be with God daily. (Luke 5:16, 6:12)Jesus regularly took time out in His ministry to just be with His Father and pray. Quality time with God can help recharge you spiritually and give you perspective.2. Recognise and respect your limits. (Mark 6:31, 1 Kings 19:1-8) You are not God. You, therefore, have physical and emotional limitations. It’s important to monitor your wellbeing in these areas and make sure you have appropriate boundaries in place. Jesus often provided space and rest for his disciples to recover from their work. When Elijah was suffering depression and ministry burnout, the first thing God did to help him was to allow him to rest and provide him with food.So take care of yourself, eat healthy food, exercise and take time to rest.3. As much as possible, let people carry their own burdens. (Galatians 6:2-5). Sometimes the best thing you can do for people is to let them carry their own load. This helps them gain self-respect and teaches them to take responsibility for their life. It’s only when someone’s problems become more than they can bear, that we should step in and help. If we start taking on more and more of what others should be doing for themselves, we may find ourselves becoming resentful or collapsing under the weight of responsibility.4. Find mature Christians with whom you can connect with and share any struggles. (Luke 10:1, James 5:16)God mostly ministers to us through other Christians. Make sure you have some trustworthy Christian friends that you can open up to and who can pray for you.
