I found this book an important, but difficult, read. Difficult because it invites the reader to wrestle with the realities that a "good calling" from God can indeed become toxic-- hurting loved ones, those around us, and even ourselves.

This book looks at burnout— and the relationship to calling. The author, Arianna Molloy, introduced me to terms I had never heard of before, such as “Job Idolization.” She describes calling being a relationship between “The Three Cs”: the Caller, the called, and the community.

“Remember, calling is a relationship between the Caller and the called. When you are weary with the weight of the world, turn to that relationship to be refreshed. Draw near to your Caller and he will draw near to you.” -page 83

After discussing calling and burnout, Molloy explores the role of humility in avoiding burnout. Her Biblical reflections, mixed with real-life stories make a beautiful book.

"Humility helps us pay attention to the long game rather than only the immediate urgencies... Sustained stress acts like horse blinders, diminishing our ability to see ourselves and others well. Like 20/20 vision, humility helps us see close up and far away." -Page 146

Another term I had never heard of before is the concept of "sabbath sadness." Molloy shares that a key part to avoiding burnout is having times of rest and reflection. However, "when we slow down from a breakneck speed, we often become aware of negative feelings we didn't allow to surface at such a fast pace. Enter sabbath sadness..."(page 146). She shares about the importance of practicing sabbath, and having time and space for processing things that we often suppress during the busyness of the week.-- sadness might well be part of that.

I am grateful for this book, which I would recommend to anyone who feels called to the work you are doing-- and for anyone who hopes to avoid burnout along the way!

This book had so much good rich things to say about calling. It was logically presented and included healthy doses of both evidence, anecdote and the Bible. It made me realize that I've heard a lot of these things before and I need to start living them out. People who are in or thinking of going into ministry need to read this book.

Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work, written by Dr. Arianna Malloy, a Communication professor at Biola College, where she focuses her attention on organizational communication, is a solid if not standard piece of writing about what owners and workers (“we”) should do when they burnout and toxically start to lose focus on the reasons as to why they decided to get into the business they are in.  Malloy aptly names this phenomenon calling burnout where “a sense of calling can easily override personal boundaries and healthy parameters” (5); and, according to her, it is becoming more and more common but needs to be squelched to ensure we work more effectively and handle problems with more grace and decency.

This book came at a time when I found myself standing on the precipice of burnout. I’d recognized the symptoms - spiritual apathy, relational conflict, shame, among other things - and had reached out for professional help.

In some ways, this book was exactly what I needed. As a pastor in a denomination that uses (and sometimes I would argue even abuses) the term “calling”, Molloy gave me language for what I was experiencing and normalized my situation.

Maybe it’s because I was somewhat checked out, but I did find it difficult to stay focused on this book. I also wanted to get to practical tips faster. Still, I’m thankful a book on this important topic is hitting shelves.

Healthy Calling
From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work
By Arianna Molloy

This wasn’t quite what I thought it was which was not as helpful. The spiritual part of the book was calming and non focused. The advice part was like going through with gauze on your eyes instead of your wound. The calling part isn’t me anymore. I am burned out. I need to get a new calling. The author knows her regular audience: college students set in their spirituality but earlier in their calling. The one story I felt was going where I needed to go the person just quit to find a new calling. The author doesn’t understand people who don’t have partnerships. I need money to live on and the author said there is no shame in that. There is also no time and space to process much less to reflect. I wasn’t the intended audience. Thanks to Netgalley for copy to review and InterVarsity Press for an advanced digital copy.

Dr. Arianna Molloy makes us remember that our calling should not lead us to a burnout and toxic condition but should lead to a healthy calling and a sustainable work. This truly brings us at ease with our calling and can flourish our work.