Cracks in the Calling: A reminder that strength is found in the stillness

Leadership is a calling—often sacred, always weighty. Those who lead do so with strategy, strength, and heart. Whether you’re leading a team, a church, a classroom, or a cause, the work is deeply personal. And that’s what makes burnout so difficult to see…and even harder to admit.

Burnout in leadership doesn’t always look like a breakdown. Sometimes, it looks like going through the motions. It looks like showing up, doing the work, but feeling increasingly numb inside. The vision that once sparked excitement now feels distant. The people you care about feel like pressure instead of purpose. Slowly, without warning, the foundation begins to fracture. Cracks form in the very place you once felt most called.

Busyness has a way of blinding us. What begins as meaningful, purpose-driven work can slowly shift into survival mode. Tasks replace vision. Deadlines crowd out devotion. The calendar stays full, but the soul grows empty. And somewhere along the way, without ever choosing it, we stop leading from our why and start leading from our weariness. It’s not that the calling disappeared—it’s that we’ve lost sight of it beneath the noise.

In this state, our calling becomes a burden instead of a blessing. We convince ourselves that rest is a luxury we can’t afford, that delegation is weakness, and that slowing down might cause everything we’ve built to fall apart. Ironically, it’s in that very pace that we begin to unravel—not from lack of work, but from lack of stillness.

God never asked us to carry it all alone. But burnout convinces us that we must. It twists our calling into performance. It replaces joy with duty and intimacy with God for isolation masked as strength. We become leaders in motion—effective, perhaps, but detached from the very Source that first lit the flame.

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…”
—Isaiah 30:15 (NIV)

This verse is a gentle but powerful reminder that strength is not found in striving—but in stillness. When we try to push through burnout with more effort, we move further from the very thing that sustains us. But when we pause, look, listen, and rest, we rediscover the strength we thought we had lost.

When the cracks begin to show, it’s not failure—it’s an invitation. An invitation to return. To be still. To rediscover the joy of being called.

Practical Ways to Recognize and Begin Eliminating Busyness

Name What’s Driving You
Is it pressure to perform? Fear of letting people down? A belief that your worth is tied to your output? Pause long enough to ask yourself: What am I really chasing right now?

Audit Your Time
Look at your calendar and be honest—what’s necessary, and what’s just noise? What’s fruitful, and what’s draining? Begin cutting or delegating the non-essential so you can create space to breathe again.

Invite Trusted Voices In
Burnout thrives in isolation. Share what you’re feeling with a trusted friend, mentor, spiritual director, or coach. Let others speak clarity and grace into the places you’ve grown weary or lost sight.

Recommit to Rhythms, Not Just Rest
Rest isn’t just about taking a vacation—it’s about building a sustainable rhythm. Create space every week that’s free from output and pressure. Guard your Sabbath. Reclaim your mornings or evenings for stillness.

Retreat

Sometimes the only way forward is to step away.

A different pace. A different space. A retreat offers more than rest, it creates sacred space. In a world that constantly demands more, a retreat invites you to receive. Altar retreats are designed to help leaders like you reconnect with God, your story, and your calling. You don’t have to wait until you’re running on empty; come because your soul is worth tending.

Spiritual Practices to Refocus and Rekindle Calling

Silence & Solitude
In a world of constant noise, solitude becomes sacred. Start small—10–15 minutes each day—sitting quietly before God. No agenda, no production. Just presence.

Journaling with God
Use reflection questions like:

• What am I carrying that You never asked me to?
• Where do I feel most disconnected from You?
• What first drew me to this calling?

Breath Prayer
Try this simple breath prayer throughout the day:

• Inhale: “You are my strength…”
• Exhale: “…I will trust in You.”

Create Sacred Space in Nature
God often speaks in creation—through water, nature, stillness. Take walks. Watch the sunrise. Or better yet, cast a line in the river and let the rhythm of fly fishing tune your soul back to the Father.

_{Amy Moran | May 2025}