He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. -Isaiah 40:29 (NKJV)
I write this after long days and nights of work at work, then work at home, which are just extra grains of sand atop months and years of the same. And I know I can’t keep this up. I’m only getting older, and it’s only getting harder to sustain this. I’m drained.
The writing, however, is on the wall: I cannot sustain this pace or this load. It is unsustainable.
A cousin shared the above verse on Facebook, and I know that it was meant for me (and others) to see, because God works through each of us to help one another. He’s amazing that way!
Sometimes, God gives us a burden too great for us to handle alone, so we must lean on Him to make it through (1 Corinthians 10:13). And sometimes, we overburden ourselves by getting lost in busyness and overexertion. I plead guilty to the latter.
But, as always, God carries me and even gave me a second wind to make it through another day, despite my stewardship stumbles. He never fails, though He could easily have determined that I would need to learn the hard way about taking on too much in my own strength.
In all things, whether work or personal, with people or with events, we need structure that first prioritizes Him. If we aren’t consciously and deliberately ordering Him first in our list, and then choosing each item below Him to honor Him, then we’re going it alone. We’re doing it the old way, like unbelievers. Part of structure is boundaries, where we understand where overwork or overstepping or abuse is violating healthy boundaries. (I highly recommend “Boundaries,” by Drs. Cloud and Townsend.)
The more we put boundaries in place, structure will be formed, and we can then grow upward to God like a flower under His sun, instead of being overextended and spread outward in too many directions.
So if you’ve fallen in the same trap I have, stop and look up. The vastness of God and all His creation can remind you that He can handle anything. Our hope is in Him alone, and He will energize us and raise us like no one else can when we aim to please Him!
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV)
Leave a Reply