Are you sacrificing your relationship with God to serve God? 💭 Author and ministry leader Karolyne Roberts opens up about spending her entire twenties striving for approval—even in ministry—until exhaustion forced her into a year-long sabbatical that changed everything. Discover how to break free from performance-driven Christianity, navigate social media comparison culture, and embrace the powerful practice of abiding in Christ daily. This honest conversation includes game-changing insights on the Fruit Fast, counting the cost before saying yes, and why Jesus withdrew when crowds grew. Perfect for overwhelmed believers ready to trade striving for surrender. 🙏

Karolyne Roberts is the author of "The Beauty of Being: Strive Less and Live More With God as Your Guide" and founder of the women's ministry Dear Daddy, where she writes letters to God as her Father. After experiencing burnout from a decade of ministry service, she took a transformative year-long sabbatical that reshaped her understanding of identity and rest in Christ. Karolyne is passionate about helping Christians—especially women—break free from performance-driven faith and discover the freedom of abiding in God's presence, and she leads various discipleship initiatives including the Abide Journaling Challenge and Miss Eternity Christian mentorship program.

1. Break the Performance Trap: If you're exhausted from trying to earn God's love through ministry and good works, Karolyne's honest story of hitting rock bottom on her 30th birthday will show you how to shift from striving to resting in your identity as God's beloved daughter. You'll learn practical tools like the Fruit Fast and Abide Journaling Challenge to help you cultivate authentic intimacy with God instead of religious burnout.
2. Navigate Modern Comparison Culture: Discover biblical strategies for setting boundaries with social media, curating your feed intentionally, and measuring success by God's standards rather than likes, followers, or vanity metrics. Karolyne shares real-world wisdom on protecting your mental health in the digital age while still using platforms for kingdom purposes.
3. Master the Balance: Learn how to pursue God's calling with healthy ambition while avoiding the extremes of either burning out or becoming unfruitful. Karolyne reveals her monthly Plan & Pray approach, the power of counting the cost before decisions, and why leaving space for God to interrupt your plans leads to the most fruitful seasons of ministry and life.

1. Your Identity Over Activity: God's love for you isn't based on your performance, ministry achievements, or how much you serve—you're worthy simply because He chose you and sent Jesus to die for you. When you ground yourself in being God's daughter or son first, you can serve from a place of rest and freedom rather than striving for approval.
2. Stop Planning, Start Surrendering: Instead of mapping out your entire year with rigid goals and vision boards, try planning month-by-month while surrendering each plan to God in prayer. This approach leaves room for God to surprise you, redirect your steps, and prevent the pride that comes from thinking you control your future—a lesson Karolyne learned powerfully in 2020.
3. Community Prevents Burnout: You weren't designed to fulfill your purpose alone—God intentionally surrounds you with a community of believers who can pour into you, support you, and help carry the load. Before launching back into ministry, prioritize building authentic relationships and practice asking for help instead of trying to do everything yourself.
4. Curate Your Digital Diet: Just as you guard what you eat physically, protect your mind by managing your screen time and intentionally curating your social media feed to include content that points you to Christ rather than comparison. The algorithm shows you more of what you engage with, so interact with scripture-based content and authentic believers rather than posts that make you feel inadequate.
5. Count the Cost First: Before saying yes to opportunities, ministries, or new ventures, pause to count the cost—spiritually, financially, and in terms of time and energy. This biblical principle of waiting for confirmation and assessing what sacrifice God is requiring helps you avoid overcommitment and ensures you're stewarding His calling with wisdom rather than just enthusiasm.

1. Take a Sabbath Rest: This week, designate one full day (like Sunday) where you completely step away from work, ministry tasks, and productivity—no planning, no projects, just worship, community, and rest. Practice surrendering control by trusting that God will handle what needs to be done tomorrow, and notice how this rhythm of rest rejuvenates your soul and strengthens you for the week ahead.
2. Audit Your Screen Time: Check your phone's screen time report and compare how many hours you spent on social media this week versus how much time you spent in God's Word and prayer. Then curate your feed by unfollowing accounts that trigger comparison or inadequacy, and intentionally follow content creators who point you toward Christ and authentic faith.
3. Fast Before Your Next Decision: The next time you're faced with a significant decision or opportunity—whether it's a ministry role, job offer, or commitment—don't answer immediately. Instead, take time to fast (whether from food, social media, or another area), seek God in prayer, and count the cost spiritually, financially, and relationally before giving your response, trusting that His timing is always perfect even when it feels last-minute.

Website: www.karolyne.com

Social Media:

 Instagram: @karolyneroberts

 YouTube: Karolyne Roberts

 Threads: @karolyneroberts

 TikTok: @karolyneroberts

 Pinterest: @karolyneroberts

#themissionallife #themissionallifepodcast #karolyneroberts #christianwomen #burnoutrecovery #restinGod #abideinChrist #performanceculture #spiritualgrowth #faithoverfear

[00:00:00] Introduction & Welcome to Karolyne Roberts

[00:01:00] The Story Behind "The Beauty of Being"

[00:03:00] From Ministry Burnout to Sabbatical Rest

[00:06:00] Defining Striving vs. Resting in God

[00:09:00] The Power of Community and Asking for Help

[00:10:00] Developing the Fruits of the Spirit

[00:13:00] The Fruit Fast Challenge Explained

[00:15:00] Comparison and Performance Traps

[00:18:00] Practical Steps: Stop Planning, Start Surrendering

[00:21:00] Balancing Ambition with Faith and Rest

[00:24:00] Counting the Cost Before Saying Yes

[00:27:00] Following Jesus' Example of Withdrawing

[00:30:00] Redefining Success: About the Father's Business

[00:31:00] Social Media's Impact on Performance Pressure

[00:35:00] Finding Your Worth Beyond the Screen

[00:39:00] The Greatest Encouragement: God's Presence

[00:41:00] Fun Questions & Final Thoughts

[00:44:00] How to Connect with Karolyne

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