Too Much
“Of course, Sandy, I realize how busy you are. It’s just that you are the only one who can keep those babies calm in the nursery. Would you please work just one more semester?”
Sandy sighed and agreed. It’s not that she couldn’t squeeze the time in, she was going to church anyway, it was just….
With her mother guilting her, her husband overloading her, the children pulling, the teaching committee enlisting, the neighborhood association calling, not to mention the Friends of the Library, the Association for the Blind, the Cancer-Walk and a myriad of other good things, Sandy had too much to do. What’s the problem?
“Of course, Sandy, I realize how busy you are. It’s just that you are the only one who can keep those babies calm in the nursery. Would you please work just one more semester?”
Sandy sighed and agreed. It’s not that she couldn’t squeeze the time in, she was going to church anyway, it was just….
With her mother guilting her, her husband overloading her, the children pulling, the teaching committee enlisting, the neighborhood association calling, not to mention the Friends of the Library, the Association for the Blind, the Cancer-Walk and a myriad of other good things, Sandy had too much to do. What’s the problem?
Burnout Ahead
Sandy tries to keep her life and her days running smoothly. She cares about her church, her marriage, her kids, her city, and her Lord. But something isn’t right and she knows it. Sandy is headed for spiritual, emotional, and relational burnout and it will not be pretty.
Maybe you can identify with Sandy. You have too many demands and not enough you. Did God intend for it to be this hard? No, He didn’t. The problem is that much of the stress and strain in our lives does not come from trying to please God but in trying to meet the expectations of all others.
Narrow Your Focus and Expand Your Influence
God’s answer is to narrow your focus – do only what He desires and expand your influence – He will take care of everything else. Is your life suffering from the clutter of trying to meet false expectations?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
Fight False Expectations
Answer this question: How much of your time is devoted to trying to meet the expectations of others?
People-pleasing stems from the underlying false belief that our value as a person depends on what others think of us. Incredible freedom comes from truly owning the Scriptural truth that God loves you unconditionally regardless of your accomplishments and your short-comings. Choose today to exemplify that truth, whether you ‘feel’ it or not.
If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)
Action Step: Commit to not saying ‘yes’ to any new thing for one whole month without taking one week to first pray and seek counsel.
1 comments:
What a great blog! Thanks for sharing your wisdom and with great practical application steps! I'll be back.
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