Youth ministers are some of the busiest people I know. And really, the same could be said of everyone who works in ministry. Whether it’s late-night Bible studies, weekend retreats, or countless hours spent tracking down registration forms, it’s incredible how quickly our schedules can fill up with events and tasks that seem to require our immediate attention. For the past 10 years, I have watched as this reality has led many of my peers and coworkers in parish ministry to a space of overwhelming stress, professional dissatisfaction, and, ultimately, burnout. All too often, the demands of ministry can lead us to feeling like we are barely able to keep our heads above water—both at work and in our personal lives.

I remember, a number of years ago, being in an exceptionally busy season of ministry and feeling like I was absolutely at my wits end. One evening in particular, I found myself in the adoration chapel dreaming about leaving my job in ministry to go work at Starbucks (mostly because I’d heard they had great health insurance). A few minutes into my reverie, I decided it might be a good idea to open my Bible. The Lord led me to the story of the prophet Elijah on Mount Horeb.

Now, many of us may have heard this story before, but let’s set the stage a little. If we rewind a few verses, we find Elijah on the run for his life, in a complete state of desperation and despair: “Enough Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kgs 19:4b). This exclamation, which comes from a place of dejection, causes the Lord to send an angel to deliver one of my all-time favorite messages in Scripture: “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!” (1 Kgs 19:7b). Elijah obeys and, after eating, his mood improves (which is just so incredibly relatable), and he sets off for Mount Horeb.

It’s on the mountain that Elijah bears his heart to God, sharing with him the heaviness he carries. He had followed the call the Lord placed on his life—to speak his Word to the chosen people, the Israelites—and the message he had given was not received. It was, in fact, met with hostility and violence. Elijah felt defeated. I must admit that it was at this point in my prayer that my heart began to stir. I knew what it was to feel defeated in the mission entrusted to me by God. I could deeply relate to the exhaustion and hopelessness that Elijah seemed to be communicating to the Lord. In that particular season of busyness, I felt often that I was pouring my heart, my time, and my energy out for an end that I never seemed to achieve.