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In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says,
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I’ve been really exhausted lately. So, the other day when I read this verse in one of my devotionals, I began to wonder, “If I’m serving God, Whose yoke is easy and burden is light, why am I so exhausted?” Then, I decided to quit talking to myself and talk to God about it.
I asked Him, “Lord, why am I so tired? What am I doing wrong? Is there something you want to change in my life?” I believe His answer can be summed up pretty well in these three words, “Mind your busy-ness!”
God has a call on my life, same as yours. As women, we were created to be “helpers”. In Genesis 2 we see that God created Eve because Adam needed a “helper”. So, there you go! Our compulsion to help is genetic. We can’t help ourselves. But that’s a good thing! Helping is what God wants us to do. However, it doesn’t mean He wants us to do everything! Sometimes I think we forget that and we get so caught up in busy-ness that life becomes MUCH harder than it needs to be.
There are so many people and places that need help it’s not hard to find something to do! And if for some strange reason you do have difficulty finding something to do, there are plenty of people who will gladly help you find some way to help! But how do we know what God wants us to do and when God wants us to do it?
Let’s establish the basics first. Titus 2:3-5 gives a pretty basic explanation of what God expects of us as women:
“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
Basically, a Christian woman, living in obedience to God’s Word will prove that His Word powerfully works THROUGH her life!
I want to be that kind of woman, don’t you? I believe this level of obedience is God’s first call on our lives. And if all He’s asking of us is to behave ourselves, take care of our families and homes and submit to our husbands, is He really asking too much? I’m sure it’s probably harder for some than others, depending on the people in your families. But remember: We’re not doing this on our own! God has given us the Holy Spirit! He will give us the strength and encouragement we need to endure all things, through God’s love!
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we shouldn’t help outside our homes! I’m just saying that until we’ve gotten a good handle on what God has called us to first, we probably shouldn’t be answering any other calls! We should probably eliminate a lot of non-essentials.
I’ve been “put on the spot” many times and I rarely handle it well. I’m a “people pleaser”. I like people to like me. Yes, I know its wrong, because I should never be more determined to please anyone more than I am determined to please God! But I’m human and I make mistakes like everyone else...this is an area where I need to learn to practice self-control! However, many times people have called or approached me about doing something, “putting me on the spot” and without giving any consideration to what God would have me do, I’ve said, “Yes!”
Now, I’m sure there were a few things I’ve agreed to do that God actually did want me to do…I mean out of all the times I’ve said, “Yes!” there had to be a few, right? But recently, when I began to feel so overburdened that I wanted to throw my hands in the air and quit, I knew it was time to pray and reevaluate things! To really stop and think about what was keeping me so busy. That’s where I’ve been the past few weeks. Praying and reevaluating.
I believe that Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light because it is! If we’re overburdened, we’ve probably done it to ourselves. We have a tendency to overcomplicate life by taking on much more than God would have us to. That’s what I had done and that’s when I stopped to ask myself a few questions, like these…
Is what I’m doing really serving the Lord or serving my pride? Am I making time in my life for everyone and everything at the expense of my time with God? Am I continually experiencing spiritual growth or has my spiritual life become dry and dissatisfying? Am I living proof of the power of God’s Word or is God’s Word being maligned as useless because of all the chaos in my life?
After asking myself these really humbling questions, I realized it was time for me to prioritize and put God first in my life again. This has required me to make some changes. I’ve had to undo some of the mess I’ve made. It isn’t easy, by any means. However, I’m taking away from the experience a very important lesson that I can share with others, and that makes it worthwhile.
I’ve also decided that from now on, when someone calls or approaches me to do something I’m not sure God wants me to do, I’m gonna ask for time to pray about it! And then, I’m gonna really spend some time praying about it. If there’s no time to pray and I’ve felt no prior leading by the Holy Spirit in this area, then my answer will most likely be, “No.”
In James 1:5-8 the Bible says,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
Pretty cut and dry. Ask, and then follow the direction. Don’t hem and haw around it about it, just be obedient. If the answer is yes, then say, “Yes!” If the answer is no, then say, “No.” Trust me, if you’re double-minded about it, you’ll just end up looking like a flake. (I know this from personal experience.)
So, if you’ve been feeling overburdened and wondering why, I hope you’ll go to Jesus, the way I have. Just do what He wants you to do and make Him the priority. Ask Him to help you be the best Christian woman you can be. He will! And don’t be surprised if He starts by telling you to mind your busy-ness.
In closing, I’d just like to say this. There will be times when people will make you feel like your calling isn’t important or isn’t enough. Satan would love to see you get overburdened again and quit. That is why all of us must be careful not to get caught in this trap again! Here’s a little something from my heart to your’s…
We have a high and noble calling to obedience. It is a high calling because it came from Heaven. It is a noble calling because it was given by God, the Most High King of kings and Lord of lords. So, NOTHING is more important than that. And don’t you forget it!
