While burnout in general is definitely concerning—leading to depression, anxiety, increased sick days, relational conflict, a kind of psychological paralysis, and an overriding sense of shame—burnout from a calling is more than that; it can be devastating to the core.
The Impact of Calling Burnout: Beyond Physical Exhaustion
When calling burnout happens, it includes all of those concerning attributes mentioned above, plus a sense of dissociation with a purpose for living, a kind of spiritual and relational burnout. Because a calling involves some kind of identification with a Caller, when we experience calling burnout, it involves a disconnect with the Caller and surrounding community.
How Shame and Disconnect Fuel the Fire of Calling Burnout
Here, a rising sense of shame emerges, and it isn’t just about the self. The shame is relational. People who feel general burnout might respond with various levels of “I don’t like what I’m doing anymore.” But people who identify a sense of calling and feel burnout respond more like, “I don’t know who I am anymore” (K. A. Molloy, B. J. Dick, D. E. Davis, and R. D. Duffy, “Work Calling and Humility: Framing for Job Idolization, Workaholism, and Exploitation,” Journal of Management, Spirituality, and Religion).
Boundaries and Control: How a False Sense of Calling Can Lead to Burnout
The relational obligation that comes with a sense of calling can easily override personal boundaries and healthy parameters. A need is great, and we feel the pull to meet that need. Renowned theologian, author, and Pulitzer Prize winner Frederick Buechner points to calling as “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC). This is very moving because it appeals to the visceral sense of calling. But let’s not go too fast here. There’s a reverent tone in Buechner’s words that we tend to skip over.
If we identify with feeling called, it means we sense a significant need that we know we can help fill. The scary part is, if we invert our role in the calling dynamic, if we begin to think of ourselves as the Caller, it’s very hard to say no. We are no longer accountable to the Caller because we are the caller. The plumb line gets skewed in a kind of moral vertigo based on the magnetic pull of the need we see before us, often letting panic or scarcity guide decision-making.
When we recognize our role as the called, we offer up the big picture vision and the important details to an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God who can see the details and the larger scene with a mindset of care, order, and peace.
False control from assuming the role of caller also means we may minimize ethics and integrity for the sake of the goal before us. We may justify ignoring healthy boundaries for the sake of the need we see, adding greater confusion about when and why we might want to say no or not right now. Remember, burnout thrives on deception and our personal dismissal of boundaries.
Burnout vs. Grit: Understanding the Difference in Ministry
From the outside, burnout behaviors from a calling look very similar to the pursuit and experience of meaningful work, what psychologist Angela Duckworth describes as grit (passion plus perseverance), or even what social innovator Greg McKeown frames as essentialism (choosing what is most important and investing wholeheartedly in that endeavor) (Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance). However, burnout is not the same as grit or essentialism because it does not yield long-term positive results.
Calling burnout has a distinct toxicity. And those most prone to burnout are already primed to push ourselves beyond what is healthy, because we are highly motivated, enjoy working toward a goal, and often feel deeply passionate about what we are doing for the sake of others.
Recovering from Calling Burnout: Moving from Ashes to Restoration
Consider the metaphor of burnout: what is left after something is burned out? Ashes. Broken pieces. An unrecognizable shape of something that once was. Perhaps you’re feeling that right now. Maybe you’ve gone from doing something truly meaningful, something you genuinely felt called to do, to now feeling like a fragmented shadow of yourself. Maybe you’re somewhere on the border of apathy and emptiness. Maybe you’re feeling frozen by a lack of knowing how to move forward because your internal compass feels broken. My friend, you are not alone, and you don’t have to stay here in this.
Taken from Healthy Calling by Arianna Malloy. ©2025 by Arianna Malloy. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press. www.ivpress.com.
