Editorial September 27, 1982 Issue

Man's true being—shining ever more brightly

WILLIAM E. MOODY

Psychologists have given the term "burnout" to a current malady. They claim it affects many individuals in almost every area of human endeavor. "Burnout" has been observed in people's lives when careers have failed to fulfill expectations, when job performance or conditions have been consistently frustrating, when family relationships have been strained over extended periods of time. Even the field of church service and ministry has seen a share of "burnouts" when high ideals have not produced noticeably practical or lasting results.

A recent article in Christianity Today describes "burnout" in people's lives by using some familiar metaphors. "There's the 'poof-pop' of a light bulb burning out and leaving us in the dark. It may be a power tool that emits a shower of sparks and quits running just when we need it most. Or it may be a motor that smokes and grinds to a halt. To burn out mechanically is to wear out or become inoperative as a result of friction, overloading, or overheating."^{Christianity Today, November 20, 1981, p. 26.}

A person's joy, his vitality, his feelings of individual worth, and his capacity to be useful and productive may seem threatened by friction or overloading in various work and family situations. But there is an answer—a scientific way to restore any damage done and also a way to prevent "burnout" before it happens.

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