Career burnout can lead to a significant amount of stress at home and in our marriages. As husbands and wives to those who are experiencing burnout at work, we are to see ourselves as God's channel of love and grace by being Jesus exemplified to our spouses.
Burnout can be a very painful process and it's never meant to be something a professional should face on his or her own. Jesus teaches in Mark 10:8 that husbands and wives "...shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh."
That means that a married professional's burnout becomes his or her spouse's burnout as well. Just as Christ gets involved in the affairs of His bride -- the church -- we are to get involved in the affairs of our spouses, too.
And maybe sometimes, some spouses can go overboard and get too involved in their partner's office affairs. That's not also a healthy way of getting things done. How can we help our spouses fight burnout at work?
Remind them that their work is a product of God's grace
We can easily forget that it was us who prayed to God for provision and it was us who asked God to give us a job that would bring direction to our lives. It's nice to have someone remind us that our jobs are a product of God's grace. We don't deserve to make a living because we don't even deserve to live.
But God, in His great mercy, not only provides via our professions but gets us involved in His work. Our jobs, as long as they remain honest and legal, are God's work, and we have the privilege to participate in His work. We need our spouses to remind us of this everyday.
Challenge them to seek God's will
We cannot always point out God's commands to our spouses because it's their call and not ours, but we can help them process it out by constantly discussing with them what plans they have. Most spouses plan out their lives more separately than others, having different professions and callings, but we can help each other out by pointing each other to God's Word and praying together for guidance and satisfaction through Christ and not our jobs.
Assure them the love of the Father with your love
Most of the time, burnt-out professionals don't really need a drastic change in profession, but simply just an assuring word. As God-given partners to our husbands and wives, we are to be extensions of God's comfort and edification to our spouses by loving them unconditionally just as Christ loves the church.
