When I try to be everything for everyone, I burn out so quickly.
We are not made to please others. We are made to please God.
The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? ~Psalm 118:6
It’s so easy to take on other people’s burdens and baggage and get carried away, forgetting our center is in Christ and Christ alone. Our relationship with Him comes first, and then comes our relationships with others.
I always have to catch myself when the bitterness, resentment, and cynicism begin to fester inside of me- that’s when I know something is off. I am not getting that refilling, replenishing time with the Lord, my Father and the God who loves me. I’m letting what other people say about me dictate who I am; or rather, what I believe others’ perceptions of me are.
I am not my mistakes, I am not my sin. I am free and beloved in Christ.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ~Romans 8:1
Sometimes the voice of perfection is so loud that I can hardly hear God over the noise. It makes me feel smaller and smaller as the anxiety takes over. I call it “shoulding” on myself.
“You should be smarter.”
“You should have done that differently.”
“You should be better than you are.”
You get the picture. The “shoulds” become so strong that they drown out the “ares.”
My Father:
“You are loved.”
“You are precious.”
“You are safe.”
and
“I AM ENOUGH.”
My best friend gave me a necklace before I left with the Maya Angelou quote on it: “You alone are enough.” And it’s true, He is. When I can’t see the way before me and am desperately trying to cling on to everything and everyone but Him, I feel a severe lack-and an intense exhaustion and burnout. But when I go to Him first, I am reminded that He is a good God who cares for me and meets me in my deepest longing and pain- and that it has to start there.
It has to start with Him.
When I come to Him first, He will order my life- I will find my own personal rhythm with Him. We don’t need to move at the pace that everyone else does or expects us to; each of us has our own relationship with Christ that calls us to unique ways of being. There is no comparison.
And finally, He calls us to rest. To be with Him. To sit with Him. To know Him. Life is messy and crazy and if we don’t find time to be alone with Him, we will spin out of control. Life apart from God is no life at all.
It’s easy to perform- it’s so much harder to trust God with our authentic selves and let Him shape us as He desires instead of forcing our own way.
I always go back to this one:
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. ~Matthew 11:28-30 The Message
Don’t let the burdens overcome you- we have a Father who is willing and able to take those burdens so we can live freely and lightly.
Let go.
rhythms of grace 