Is This Burnout or Just Tuesday?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

A potter taught a class, showing students two lumps of clay.

"This one," he said, pointing to the first, "has been worked perfectly. It is soft, pliable, and ready to be shaped into something beautiful." Then he pointed to the second, a dry, cracked lump. "And this one has been overworked. It was left on the wheel too long without water. Now, it's brittle. If I try to shape it, it will crumble in my hands."

He explained that the difference wasn't in the quality of the clay, or even the skill of the potter. The difference was rest. The good clay had time to sit, to absorb moisture, and to recover between sessions on the wheel. The other was pushed past its limit without a break.

The students could see the clear line between being productively worked and being utterly worn out.

We are like that clay. There is a difference between the good, holy tiredness of a day spent on meaningful work, and the soul-deep dryness of being overworked. God is a gentle potter; He never intends for us to spin until we crack. The rest He offers is not a reward for finished work, it is the essential moisture that makes the work sustainable.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Do you feel more like the pliable clay, tired but still soft in God's hands? Or do you feel the brittle cracks of overwork? God's invitation to rest isn't a command to do more. It's a permission slip to stop, to receive, and to let Him soften your heart again.

PRAYER:

Jesus, when I can't tell the difference between burnout and a normal day, draw me close. When I feel brittle and dry, soften my heart with Your rest. Teach me to step away from the wheel, to find my strength not in pushing harder, but in resting in You. Amen.