It's so painful to care: how do you overcome apathy?

A Christian may care too much about the good things. For example, we may care so much about causes that honor God that we become exhausted, discouraged, and overwhelmed. And that can cause us to disengage from those things. In other words, too much attention can lead to too little attention, and that's one of the ironies of life, even the Christian life.

It really is easy to be numbed by the dizzying array of tragedies, hardships, negative data, and needs that we encounter on a daily basis.

You would think that this onslaught of important and urgent information would keep us alert, vigilant and engaged. But this often has the opposite effect. Author Wendell Berry summarizes this experience with insight and pessimism:

"It is a horrible fact that we can read in the daily newspaper, without interrupting our breakfast, numerical calculations of death and destruction which should break our hearts or make us lose our minds. It brings us to a very practical question: Can we – and, if we can, how can we – make real in our minds the sometimes urgent things we say we know? technology, nor by great thought. Perhaps it cannot be accomplished at all" (It All Turns on Affection: The Jefferson Lecture & Other Essays).

Berry's argument is that the seriousness of the information we gather is often inversely proportional to the quality of our response. The more need, tragedy, data points, or reality, the less we feel less. Too much of a bad thing can cripple our affections.

It's something like the phenomenon known as "compassion fatigue", which typically affects people in helping professions (such as nurses, aid workers, teachers, doctors). It is sometimes described as a feeling of powerlessness in the face of many societal problems.

Empathetic people will sometimes reach a point where they feel they can no longer devote time or energy to helping others because they are overwhelmed by the seemingly endless needs around them.

What often results is numbness, loss of empathy, emotional disconnection, and a diminished sense of purpose. We feel like we've done so much and done so little. So, unfortunately and ironically, our exhaustion and feelings of inadequacy breed apathy.

Yet for the Christian, giving up caring and surrendering to apathy is simply not an option. So what can exhausted and seemingly inadequate people do?

A healthy approach begins with acknowledging our apathy toward God and receiving His good news. He knows our setting and He makes vital promises that speak to the heart of our numbness.

To the weary and weary he says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Jesus recognizes that even the yoke of compassion can be painful - however good it is - and He promises those who come to Him that He will grant Sabbath rest now and forever.

He invites us to take up his yoke, a yoke he carries by our side, and enter this disorderly world on a mission with him.

To those who feel insignificant and unimportant, he reminds us, "Don't five sparrows sell for two cents? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Well, even the hair of your heads are all numbered. Fear not; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7).

Our Father cares deeply for us, not just generically as "humanity", but as individual children. The details of our lives really matter to him. This simple fact gives our lives real meaning.

However, God not only says that we are precious, but also considers the things we do to be meaningful. He promises that whatever good we seek in this life will be rewarded and that in time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

God will not forget the things great or small, known or hidden, that we do as His faithful servants (Hebrews 6:10). Everything is valued and everything will be rewarded.

Ultimately, God confronts our paralyzing “why bother” attitude with the good news we mean to Him. And everything that matters to God has ultimate and eternal meaning.

We must also remember that apathy - like any other sinful tendency - is forgiven, healed and overcome in Christ.

Although we may feel guilty, weak and stuck, God tells us that we are truly free and able to engage in a battle in which He has already dealt the decisive blow against the enemies of...