Tag: too much

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Weight of it All

Life can become so crazy!  There is always something to do, somewhere to go, people to see.  It is never ending.  At some point, you may even find yourself weary.

Weariness isn’t good, but it seems to be a quality of this technology-ridden, “we need it now” world.  When we are employees, parents, brothers, sisters, friends, people in a world that never seems to stop – things can become overwhelming.  We try to do it all and expect to survive.  The fact we are weary indicates that we can’t.

Look at this situation in Moses’ life when he was the one who dealt with ALL the Israelite issues by himself:

“So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, 

“The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.

 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 

Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. 

So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭18:17-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We all need someone to help us bear our burdens.  We cannot handle it on our own.  Yes, we can cast all our cares on God (1 Peter 5:7).  He can bear them all without any effort.  What a great blessing! But we also need each other.  We need to find people around us to help us and find people we can help.  This is the only way to survive in this world.

I encourage you to pray about the areas you carry on your shoulders…the things that you bear all or most of the burden and let God put people in your life to help you carry these things.  Also, pray that God sends you someone to help carry a burden they can no longer bear.  In doing this, we will become more like Christ.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

  

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The hazard of juggling

I have had seasons of my life where I had a lot on my plate.  It is a part of my personality to do things.  If someone isn’t doing something and I see that it needs to be done, often I will try to make sure it is covered – most of the time taking on the tasks myself.  This is a trait that I am proud of, but it is also a trait that gets me in trouble.

I have just left a season of my life where I had way too much up in the air and trying to juggle it all.  Eventually, I found myself lying on my back with everything falling down around me.  It got to be too much.  The sad part was that I knew it was too much, but I had an issue with giving something up.

Being needed made me feel so good.  Doing things made me feel like I was needed – like I made a difference.  I wanted to have a place in this world.  Now, as I pick up the pieces of the mess I made when taking on too much, I see that I do not need to do all things to be important or special.  I was made important and special before I was put in my mother’s womb.  This is a fact for us all.  As you read this, know that you were made important and special the moment you were first thought of – not by your parents, but by the Creator of the Universe.

Let’s look at two different scriptures:  Exodus 18:13-23 –

 The next day Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.  When Moses’ father-in-law saw all he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone and judge and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”  Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to learn God’s will.  When they argue, they come to me. And I judge between a man and his neighbor. I teach them the Laws of God.”  Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will become tired and weak. For the work is too much for you. You cannot do it alone.  Now listen to me. I will tell you what you should do, and God be with you. You speak for the people before God. Bring the troubles to God. Then teach them the Laws. Make them know the way they must walk and the work they must do. Also, you should choose from the people able men who fear God, men of truth who hate to get things by doing wrong. Have these men rule over the people, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. Let them judge the people at all times. Have all the big troubles brought to you. But have them judge the small troubles. So it will be easier for you. They will share the work with you.  If you do this and God tells you to do it, then you will be able to keep your strength. And all these people will go to their place in peace.”

and Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.

In Exodus, Moses is trying to juggle leading the Israelites all on his own.  It would eventually become too much and the system would crumble.  Jethro, his father-in-law and leader in his own right, saw the potential for disaster and decided to give him some advise.  I know that we do not all have that kind of authority in our own life, but we can take this lesson and apply it to our lives.  We can admit that we need people around us to help us with things.  We need to know our limitations.  We need to know that our worth is not found in doing things, but in who our Creator made us to be.

In the Psalm, David is explaining how God sees us no matter where we are (these scriptures are not included) and He will always be there.  Why, because we are His creation and we are created to be loved by Him (see verse 17 of the Psalm).  You don’t need to put yourself in harms way to prove your worth to people.  All you need to do is be you.  That is enough.  You are enough.

Be Blessed.

Juggling