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Are you feeling totally used up and worn out? Are you feeling as though you don’t have an extra ounce of energy to give to another person, another project or another commitment?
The feeling I’m talking about doesn’t always have to come from over commitment or saying yes or no to too many people, events, or activities. Sometimes it is more about the attitude of ‘going all in’ when it comes to doing what we are passionate about.
The best way to describe this level of commitment is by using one of my favorite phrases.
“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, WOW!, What a ride!”
You might think this type of excitement would occur at the end of a career or the completion of a huge project. But for some of us this feeling occurs year-after-year, and usually it’s the same time of year. Why is it like that? Why would we continually give so much of ourselves to others only to be emotionally spent, physically fatigued and mentally drained again and again?
Because the commitments we have made are important. God’s word tells us in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” The part that we often forget is that we must create a delicate balance between trusting God as if everything depended on Him, while doing our best work as though everything depended on us.
When is all said and done it takes a lot to wear us out, tire us out, and exhaust us. But hopefully the lesson learned is that big responsibilities take commitment. The upside to being worn out and all used up, is that it is temporary. Through rest and rejuvenation we are able to regain our strength and energy and go again. We are reminded of this each time we read Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
God wants us to do great things and to do meaningful work that honors Him. But when we feel totally used up He tells us to “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28-29
Isn’t it encouraging to know that when we have nothing left to give physically or mentally, that God never tires and He provides us with the strength we need to persevere? Isn’t it comforting to know that He is our refuge and strength and that we find rest in Him?
I hope each and every day you use your talents and abilities to glorify God. I hope you use those gifts to make the job more enjoyable so it seems less like work. And in the end I hope you can shout to the mountain tops, “Lord, this was some kind of ride!”
I’ll be praying for you.
Mitzi
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