I am a woman. I am invincible. I am tired.
A woman’s work is never done right? We work ourselves to exhaustion on a daily basis but we still feel unimportant, unsatisfied and unfulfilled at the end of the day. Why?
She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it.
She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.
She goes to inspect a field and buys it;
with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
her lamp burns late into the night.Her hands are busy spinning thread,
her fingers twisting fiber.
She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy.
She has no fear of winter for her household,
for everyone has warm clothes.
She makes her own bedspreads.
She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. from Proverbs 31
Girls, if we treat Proverbs 31 like a page out of a day timer we are going to feel like a failure. We are going to burn out fast.
So how can we be busy but not burned out?
As Jesus closed out his ministry and prepared for his final days, he prayed, “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
Jesus seems to have a peaceful sense of accomplishment. He seems to be at ease. He seems to be done with all his work. And he did it in just three years.
This is the key: Complete the work HE gave you to do.
We get burned out because we don’t let God order our day let alone order our life. We don’t ask for his guidance or approval before we commit to another responsibility or sign up for another committee.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
We are supposed to be busy, but not burned out. So how do we balance that?
Rest.
Intentional, purposeful rest.
God’s Example
After God created the world in 6 days he made sure to rest. I don’t see him as the kind of entity that requires rest. The seventh day of rest wasn’t because he was so exhausted from speaking the cosmos into existence. It was his day of reward. It was his day to sit back and savor all the beauty. He created the universe and the moment to look at his masterpiece with satisfaction.
We need moments to just sit back, breathe in and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
God’s Command
God was so serious about rest that he commanded the Jews to observe the Sabbath. Following the Lord’s example, they were not permitted to work at all. That was the law.
How many days a week are you banned from any kind of work? We need more time just doing nothing.
Jesus’ Practice
Jesus, even though he was deity himself, still went away to be with the Father. Jesus retreated to the mountains or to the sea to just be with God. He prayed and replenished himself spiritually.
If that was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us. I’m not sure why we think we can get away with not nurturing our spirits?
Practice getting away. Try 5 minutes at a time. Don’t answer the phone. Don’t answer your Facebook messages and don’t even answer the kid knocking on the bathroom door. Give God 5 uninterrupted minutes of your time.
You want to be busy but not burned out?
1. Let God set your schedule.
2. Let God set your goals.
3. Let God restore you with rest.
4. Let God revive your spirit.
