I have a question for our Making Space for God community today. What would you say rules your day? In case that question seems a bit vague, let me ask you this in another way. What do you spend the most time thinking about?
- Your job
- Your next meal
- Relationships
- Fear
What would you say consumes your thoughts and actions daily? It’s good to think about this as we seek to make more space for God in our daily lives. I asked myself the same question and quickly recognized that what rules my day depends on how I started my day. If I started my day seeking the Lord through prayer and reading Scripture, then my day gets on track. My mind is renewed, my spirit refreshed, and my heart repositioned from self to God. Hope is renewed and trust is built, as I spend time with the Lord. When I counsel people, my first question is “how do you start your days?” It’s a tell-tale question.
Jesus spent His days pouring out His love and healing power on people in need. He taught them, directing them to keep their eyes on God. He knew that without plugging their lives directly into the port of God’s love, they would have nothing to give to anyone. And by the way, if you are experiencing burnout in any capacity of your life, then this blog is meant for you. I am convinced that burn out is not intended to be part of the Spirit-filled life.
Let’s take a minute and unpack that last sentence. First of all what does burn out look like?
- Doing the same repeatedly so that it becomes mundane
- Being exhausted mentally and or physically
- Loss of motivation
- Loss of energy and joy of life
These are just a few of the things that come to mind, however, there are certain to be more. The point is, life becomes flat and sometimes we end up simply going through the motions of living. Jesus had something to say about that.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. (Romans 12:11-12)
Friends, when we pray: Thy will be done as it is in heaven, have you ever thought that in heaven there is no burnout—loss of joy or hope? When we pray for heaven to invade earth with God’s perfect will, I feel certain that God brings zeal for life—life right here right now.
So today, take an inventory of what rules your life. Do you have something on life support that is causing burn out? Have you bought into the lie that this is just the way life is and you have to deal with it? No. This is not the life God intended for each of us. Jesus said His yoke is easy and burden light. It may be time to make some significant changes in your life. It may be time for the things that rule you to submit to the God you know.
