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| When Working for the Lord Works Against You |
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When is enough, enough? How can you tell when you have taken on too much, said yes to too many things, gone above and beyond the call of the Lord for your life? How can you figure it out before it is too late and you self destruct?
We got news this morning, that the person leading our Sunday School class is resigning his position. It came as a complete shock to me, as well as others. This man has been teaching this class for a long, long time. It is hard to imagine that he will not be doing it anymore. He cited that things in his life have just piled up and he needed to make some changes before he fell off the cliff he found himself at the edge of. We don’t know the whole story, and we don’t need to. One of our family is hurting, and I am lifting them up in prayer.
It got me to thinking how we don’t really know the people we call “friends”. Oh, we see the exterior, might even share some of their interior thoughts and feelings. We do things with them, have fun together, share our time with the Lord with them, pray for them, but we really don’t know all the “stuff” that is going on in their lives. We don’t know about the illnesses of some, and how much is involved in their pain and suffering. We don’t know about the emotional struggles they deal with, other than what they tell us or how close they allow others to get to their “inner” being. We don’t know the financial struggles they might have. Even our spouses can be strangers to us at times.
There is only One that knows us, inside and out. Only One that we cannot hide from, we cannot pick and choose what we want Him to see. Only One who loves us, even though he can see straight through us. Only One that can take the things that are wrong in our lives and make them right.
We can keep saying yes when asked to do something, telling ourselves it is ok because it is something we are doing for the Lord. But He doesn’t always want us to take on every committee we get asked to serve on…He wants us to take time for our families, and take time with Him alone. Sometimes we need to say no to keep our own sanity. That is why it is so important to keep taking stock of things in our lives. Are we doing too much? Is this really what God wants of me? Is this going to help or hurt my relationship with my family? Am I any good to anyone, or am I doing more harm than good?
If you do so much for the Lord that your relationships with your family and friends suffers, or your job suffers, is it still okay to be doing work for the Lord? He gives us plenty of opportunities to serve. We don’t have to jump on all of them. Take an inventory of things today. Make sure you haven't over committed, only to self destruct.
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| I witnessed this tonight, and you got it right on: pray for them! That is the sad reality, is how little we really know our church family! God is challenging me to know mine more this year! |
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Deb |
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January 21, 2008 at 11:02am |
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Doyle Crow, thank you!
Lara, our church has a women's mentoring group, and we are just starting up a new year. I have two ladies that I will be mentoring with, so I am hoping to get to know them a lot better. There are so many people that we run into each day, I don't think there is any way we can know them all, but we can sure try! |
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| Hiya Deb; Yep...burnout...I know the symptoms and the signs...he just needs a refreshing from the Lord so that he can get back up in the saddle again. God has control of the reins, we just have to allow him to guide us. It is an age old problem in the body of Christ and will continue until His return. It is like one of my pastors preached long ago...20% of the people in the body of Christ do 80% of the work and we pray to God that the other 80% of the body of Christ will please in the name of the Father do 20% of the work. It is hard to be a Christian, it is hard to not become weary of well doing. Pray the Father will give this brother of ours the gentle leading and guiding he needs. He just needs to get up on the Fathers lap and sit awhile. May the bless you and our brother, and make His face to shine upon the both of you. In Jesus' name. Amen and amen. |
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Yes, Deb, setting those priorities can make all the difference in the world. ( I know you know that. I'm making a general statement)
All of the blog is very, very good. I really found the last paragraph very insightful! Something serious to think about. |
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Gene |
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January 21, 2008 at 8:59pm |
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Deb, I just keep hearing the refrain to the song. . "We are family!. . . We are one!" I seem to recall a blog a few weeks back about removing the number of hats we have. I'm doing that too. I'm finding myself spread out too thin to be effective and maintain my health and passion. The best thing to do is let others know, pray with them and be supportive whether you can.
Peace! |
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| Deb - this is a great post and so, so true. I read a book a couple of years ago entitled "Maximize the Moment" written by TD Jakes. The book is fantastic and I definitely recommend it. One key point he makes is this process of "taking inventory" continuously and not being all things to all people. If we want to be all we can be for our Lord and maximize the moments in our lives, it is critical for us to make this process a habit. Thanks again for sharing your heart. |
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Deb |
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January 22, 2008 at 12:13pm |
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Debra Lynn, all good advice that you have given, and I hope that this man will let the Lord gently lead him where he needs to go.
Yahschild, thank you for your comments. Isn't it amazing how when we get so busy, we lose sight of our priorities? And sometimes we even lose sight of God.
Gene, I think perhaps I need to get rid of some of my hats too. I try to do a lot, and now I am sick with laryngitis, the second time this winter I have had a cold. I guess I am trying to do to much.
Charlie, taking inventory continuously...great idea. I will have to check out that book. Sounds like it would be interesting.
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Deb |
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January 22, 2008 at 12:39pm |
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| MH Guitarist, better late than never I guess. Maybe it will save future heartaches and headaches. Glad it spoke to you. Thanks for your comments! |
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Great post (as usual) Deb.
When we (my wife and I) were first married we struggled with "calling" and "need". There are clearly many needs in the Body. Just because we know of those needs are we always the ones called to fill them? Perhaps if we say "no", somebody else who has been walking in the shadows will step forward. Perhaps not. I think it is a struggle we all go through.
You point out some really good parameters to assess...does it impact my family? my job? my one on one time with God? Solid questions that should be asked. Thanks. |
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Deb |
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January 26, 2008 at 1:13pm |
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| DC, thank you for the compliment. This is something I struggle with as well, and I tend to say yes too often before really thinking about things. Once I make the commitment, I do keep it, but I need to think before I act. |
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Deb, tackling the tough issues of the church as usual! I love what Debra Lynn had to say, about the 20/80 and then the 80/20. Humorous, sad, and true all at the same time! I imagine the request would sound like this if the requestor was really bringing the request from the LORD, "would you mind praying about joining the leadership of this ministry?" However, in our haste to accomplish great things for God, we often approach people with requests that sound like this, "there's a real need in this ministry, and we think you have the perfect gifts to help. What do ya say?" Big difference!
As you saw, our small group just split into two. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time!!! But in this case we waited patiently for the Lord's timing, and man when he did it, and the way he did it, it all seemed to go down perfectly. I'm still amazed. Thanks for another great one Deb! |
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Deb |
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January 26, 2008 at 1:38pm |
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| Mike, thank you...I do think that sometimes we try to take on more than God really wants us to, but I also think that He will bring things in line if we do take on too much...somehow making us slow down long enough to realize we aren't expected to do it all. |
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Deb |
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January 26, 2008 at 2:50pm |
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| VisionHeir, this is excellent advice, and so simple...yet so hard for some who get lost in the "business" of every day. But we need to take the time to consult the Lord and Holy Spirit of what it is that He wants us to do. We won't keep tripping over ourselves if we just do that! Thank you for your comments! |
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| This is a lesson every Christian should be learning at some point in their life. I know it was a lesson I learned this past year, perhaps in a slightly different way, yet still the same lesson. God is soo good! |
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Deb |
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January 26, 2008 at 3:07pm |
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| DeeDee, I do think that every Christian will learn this at some point. The sooner the better, and sometimes it is a hard lesson to learn, but it needs to be learned so that we can better work for the Lord. |
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Very good post! It is so true in the lives of many Christians. Usually the ones who have a genuine desire to serve the Lord sooner or later fall into this trap of Satan. I was just talking to another missionary wife this morning about the same thing. It is easy to say yes but sometimes the more spiritual thing to do is say no.
The important thing is to not judge those who have to back up a little and take a break. Like you said we don´t know all that is going on in their personal life but God does. Sometimes the only way to get back where we need to be with God is to quit some of the ways we are serving him and just BE with him for a while.
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Deb |
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January 29, 2008 at 10:38am |
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| yucatandeaf, that is the perfect way to put it...Sometimes the only way to get back where we need to be with God is to quit some of the ways we are serving him and just BE with him for a while. And we have to use wisdom to know when that time comes and listen to the Holy Spirit's urging! Thanks for your comments. |
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| Sometimes pride paints faux masterpieces "If I Don't Do It No One Will" or "Nobody Will Do It as Well as Me' or 'I Want to Be Praised" just to name a few.We never stop to inquire of God is this particular serving you project your will for me right now.We just pick up the brush and paint haphazardly on whatever canvas of opportunity comes our way .What we create is a mess.We are standing in the way of God and and the artist God wants to use,while we streak our own art work with dark hues of exhaustion,burn out,and unhappiness,guilt, and pride. |
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Deb |
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January 29, 2008 at 12:03pm |
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| racunpoodle, exactly! You put it very well! |
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| So true God has blessed you to see beyond the outside to the heart of this matter you have the gifts to be a blessing in this situation use them. |
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Deb |
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February 06, 2008 at 12:00pm |
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| Valerie, thank you. I hope that I can use my God given gifts to benifit others. |
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