WE❤️
We have been so busy the last few weeks with something scheduled almost daily. In fact, most of our days had two things scheduled. Pepper that in with purchasing a home, laundry, tantrums, and the day-to-day stuff, it’s been a whirlwind. When I opened my Bible to Exodus 18 to continue reading, I felt so seen.
In Exodus 18, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, visits Moses in the wilderness. After Jethro and Moses visited with each other, Moses resumed work.
Exodus 18:13-18 reads, “The next day Moses sat down to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning until evening. When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this thing you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?’ Moses replied to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come to me to inquire of God. Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I make a decision between one man and another. I teach them God’s statutes and laws.’ ‘What you’re doing is not good,’ Moses’ father-in-law said to him. “You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.”
💥 How many things are we doing that are good, but aren’t good for us?
Can you relate?
Personally, I’m a Carpe Diem: Seize the day, kinda gal. I like to go and do. It’s why Chris calls me Turbo because I’m on go ALL of the time. Usually, I’m fine. But when it all catches up with me… I pay for it. It wears me down, and I find myself short-fused, exhausted, with a list of routine maintenance (clean, meal prep, laundry, etc.) that makes me feel even that much more tired.
Culture tells us: Stay busy. Staying busy means you’re important. Doing it all is fun. You don’t want to miss out, right? What kind of life are you living if you don’t do it all… oh, and capture each moment on your smartphone? BUT, is the spiritual and physical exhaustion worth “doing it all?”
Here’s the truth: The enemy wants us tired and unsatisfied. He wants us to look around and see what others are doing or where they’re going and think: I want that. He traps us with striving for more, what’s next, and everything just slightly out of reach or budget. But, God wants more for us. He wants us to look at Him and think: You are enough, Lord. Your peace is perfect. Your grace is amazing. Your freedom is worth walking in. I want you, Lord, not the world.
Want another truth? Life wasn’t intended to be lived in sprint mode (Preaching to myself here), with the exception of the one to two weeks a year where we take elaborate or expensive vacations.
See, God created us for purpose. He created us for joy. He created us for relationship. He created us for Him. That’s a truth we can rest in and on.
As we wrap up another week and enter into the next, join me in settling into a pace that feels comfortable and sustainable. Remember: It’s OK to let go, and it’s OK to say no. I hope you have a Happy 4th of July and get to enjoy your people a little more this week.
“Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:24
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