Calling and Burnout

Could having a calling be bad for you? It may seem like an odd question in an age where books, articles, and podcasts on finding and living your calling abound. But research suggests that having a calling could be harmful in some cases.

The Costs of Calling

In 2009, J. Stuart Bunderson and Jeffrey A. Thompson published a foundational study on calling. They wanted to explore the concept among people more likely to “work for passion than for pay or advancement,” so they interviewed zookeepers. Among their findings was the idea that having a calling has benefits and costs. In their words, calling can be a “double-edged sword.” Let’s look at the costs, or what they label “the shaper edge” of calling.

First, Bunderson and Thompson discovered that, for these zookeepers, perceiving a calling to their work made them feel obligated to stick with it. Walking away from a job you felt called to do would feel like a moral failure. Second, because of their sense of calling to their job, the zookeepers would make personal sacrifices for their work. Seeing the potential costs of working in line with one’s calling, Bunderson and Thompson worried that management could mistreat or exploit those who sensed a calling to their work.

Denise Daniels of Wheaton College and Elaine Howard Ecklund of Rice University and their colleagues have more recently studied the concept of calling and work as part of their Faith at Work research project. Based on their research, they expanded on the potential costs of viewing one’s work as a calling. They noted that a sense of calling might cause a person to endure being treated badly in the workplace or make them less willing to speak up or initiate change amid challenging work situations such as discrimination or harassment. Even though research on calling highlights how it can benefit us and our organizations, we need to be cautious of the potential downsides, one of which could be burnout.

Even though research on calling highlights how it can benefit us and our organizations, we need to be cautious of the potential downsides, one of which could be burnout.

Calling and Burnout

Several researchers have conducted studies on the relationship between calling and burnout. They’ve also examined calling as it relates to other variables such as occupational stress and job demands. It seems that there’s some evidence to suggest that perceiving a calling to one’s work can contribute to resilience for some folks in challenging situations and occupations. Yet, it’s important to remember that these results do not necessarily hold up for all people, at all times, and in all occupations.

Trying to white-knuckle your way through a toxic work environment because you feel called to stay could lead to burnout. In their article on their Work as Calling Theory, longtime calling researchers Ryan Duffy, Bryan Dik, and their colleagues caution,

“Although living a calling has been predominantly associated with positive outcomes, for some individuals in some conditions, living a calling may also have negative consequences, including workaholism, burnout, and organizational exploitation” (Dik & Duffy, 2012).

If you find yourself in this sort of situation, it may be worthwhile to examine how you understand the concept of calling.

Multiple Views of Calling

Within the fields of vocational psychology and organizational behavior, there are three dominant views of calling: classical, neoclassical, and modern. The classical view derives from the teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin who wrote and taught about calling during the Protestant Reformation. According to Bryan Dik and Ryan Duffy, under this view, “God calls people to serve him and to serve others, through whatever work they find themselves doing, and equips them with the gifts they need to do so well.”

The neoclassical view retains the idea that calling originates from beyond the self but does not require that it come from God. This view also highlights that callings are pro-social, or concerned for the welfare of others and promoting the common good. Thompson and Bunderson note that common to the classical and neoclassical views are the themes of “destiny, duty, discovery.”

Under the modern view, calling is all about self-fulfillment. Thompson and Bunderson write that these “callings are expressions of internal passions and interests and are pursued for the enjoyment and fulfillment they bring and not out of any sense of societal duty or obligation.”

Some theologians might find these views of calling too narrow. Because vocational psychologists and organizational behaviorists study work, they’re often talking about calling to a particular job or role. In The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, Os Guinness teaches that Christians have a primary calling and secondary callings. The primary calling is a call to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Our secondary callings are the ways we respond to that primary calling in our everyday lives. He writes,

“We are not primarily called to do something or go somewhere; we are called to Someone. We are not called first to special work but to God. The key to answering the call is to be devoted to no one and to nothing above God himself.”

For Yale Divinity School professor Miroslav Volf, work is a central place where we exercise the gifts the Spirit gives us when we become God’s children.

Our job is not our calling. It’s a place where we can live out our calling. Our calling transcends any single role. For example, someone who feels called to teach can certainly work in a school. But they could also work in a library, on a farm, or in human resources at a Fortune 100 company. And in each one of those places they could look for ways to exercise their gifts and embody the values of the Kingdom of God. When we move away from linking our calling to a particular job, we can open ourselves to new ways God may be inviting us to engage in redemptive work, and we can gain some needed perspective that may help us avoid burnout.

Our job is not our calling. It’s a place where we can live out our calling.

Discernment Burnout

Based on my observations and experience, a never-ending quest to discover our calling can lead to stress, anxiety, and even burnout. Continually pressing for clarity as a means of alleviating decision paralysis can drive us mad and divert our attention from doing the good work that’s right in front of us. As followers of Christ, we have the freedom to make choices and live out what we sense our callings to be (Galatians 5:1). And we have a loving and merciful God who will be present with us and working in and through us no matter what road we take as we seek to keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). So let’s be mindful about how we’re stewarding our time and energy in seasons of discernment.

Examining Your Burnout

If you find yourself on the brink or in the midst of burnout, here are a few reflection questions that may help you take a closer look at what may be contributing. Be gentle with yourself as you respond to these questions. Take a posture of grace and curiosity. Let any discomfort, anxiety, or doubt you feel be your teachers. Ask God to minister to your weary soul and bring you rest and peace.

1. If you’re feeling burned out in your role, what could be the causes? Are there internal factors that could be contributing like your drive, work habits, workaholism, or lack of boundaries? Are there external or organizational factors at play? Burnout experts Michael P. Leiter and Christina Maslach have identified six areas to consider: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values.
2. To what extent could your understanding of calling be contributing to your burnout? Do you feel you must go above and beyond what’s expected or healthy in your work because of your calling? Does your sense of calling result in your sacrificing beyond what God invites you to do? Do you feel morally obligated to stay or financially constrained in an unhealthy work environment because of your calling?
3. Is your sense of calling bigger than your job? Is it something you could live out in a variety of different roles?
4. If you’re trying to discern your calling before taking the next step in your life or career, how much clarity do you need before you make a decision? How much stress or anxiety is your discernment process causing? To what extent is your fear of making the wrong choice causing decision paralysis?