Operation Mental Health™: Waiting on the Lord During Career Burnout
- Glennae Davis, RN, Workforce Care Specialist™
- Jun 20
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 24
When fear, confusion, and uncertainty make every decision feel risky.
I remember sitting in church listening to people tell me:
"Wait on the Lord."
At the time, I did not find those words comforting.
I wanted answers.
I wanted action.
I wanted justice.
Most of all, I wanted the fear to stop.
My career was in jeopardy. My health was changing. My future felt uncertain. Every decision seemed connected to my livelihood, my family, and everything I had worked so hard to build.
Waiting felt impossible.
What I did not understand then was that waiting on the Lord is not the same thing as doing nothing.
Waiting is often an act of obedience.
When employees face career burnout, workplace stress, discrimination, injury, or retaliation, there is tremendous pressure to act immediately.
File something.
Quit.
Retaliate.
Fight.
Settle.
Do anything.
Fear creates urgency.
But urgency does not always create wisdom.
Looking back, I can see that waiting protected me from making decisions based solely on emotion.
Waiting gave me time to gather information.
Waiting gave me time to assess.
Waiting gave me time to hear what God was saying beyond my fear.
The system wanted me to react.
God was teaching me to respond.
That distinction matters.
Many people believe faith means sitting still and hoping things improve.
I disagree.
Faith requires movement.
Sometimes the movement is gathering evidence.
Sometimes the movement is seeking counsel.
Sometimes the movement is learning your rights.
Sometimes the movement is simply refusing to panic.
There were moments when I felt trapped between protecting my health and protecting my employment.
Moments when every option seemed dangerous.
Moments when I desperately wanted someone else to make the decision for me.
Yet those moments became some of the most important lessons of my life.
I learned that waiting is not weakness.
Waiting is trusting God long enough to make decisions from wisdom rather than fear.
Career burnout often places people in situations where they feel forced to choose quickly.
Faith reminds us that not every decision must be made today.
Sometimes clarity comes after patience.
Sometimes direction comes after obedience.
And sometimes the greatest act of courage is refusing to let fear become your guide.
Operation Mental Health™ Lesson
Waiting on the Lord is not passive.
It is a deliberate refusal to allow fear, panic, anger, or desperation to make decisions for you.
When workplace stress threatens your health, career, finances, or identity, wisdom often requires assessment before action.
Assessment before diagnosis.
Interpretation before intervention.
Discussion Question
Have you ever faced a workplace situation where waiting ultimately produced a better outcome than reacting immediately?
Next Step
Take the Work Fatigue Quiz™ and discover what level of work fatigue you may be experiencing.
