Overload is a heart condition

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I was having lunch recently with a group of ladies when I realized the conversation buzz at the table was all about how busy everyone was.

One of them said, “I can’t seem to get everything done. No matter how hard I try I can’t get caught up and I’m running on fumes.” Another said, “There’s no time for my family, and my kids and I are constantly on the go. I don’t have a minute to breathe, much less do anything for me.”

That my friends is the sign of super overload and the red flag is waving big time for us to bring these crazy schedules to a screeching halt.

How do we get into these situations? Will the long to-do list ever stop? Or at the very least will the list ever become manageable?

Some, or even most of the problem is of our own making. We think everybody needs our help, or we think no one else will do this or that like we would, or it could be we feel guilty for not doing more and our hands just shoot straight up in the air screaming, ‘I’ll do it!’

This kind of behavior is insane and it’s time for us to admit that we are beyond our capacities to manage all of our responsibilities. We simply are trying to do too much.

As Glynnis Whitwer shares in her book, Taming the TO-DO List, “Our expectation about our time and energy are simply unrealistic. We’re like Cinderella’s stepsisters trying to squeeze our feet into that glass slipper.”

So how many of these extra commitments are really necessary? What motivates us to overload our schedules? If we find ourselves saying over and over again that we are too busy……….then something has to change NOW.

As we work through our busyness this week we need to pray about what our priorities are. Let’s ask God for wisdom in how and why we choose all of the extras we do. James 1:5-8 provides us with the instructions to ask Him for wisdom to know what to do. Whatever we choose should always align with God’s word and His character.

Do a heart check and figure out what you really need to be doing. Moments with your children or family members can’t be replaced by spending time on assignments meant for other people. So don’t! Prioritize and make your to-do list meaningful, manageable and heart felt!

I’ll be praying for you this week as you seek God’s wisdom for yourself, your time and your to-do list. And I would appreciate your prayers as well. I am guilty myself of trying to do too much……..and it’s time for me to do a heart check.

Have a blessed week!