Finding your Joy - a daily inspiration

[TAMF]

January 9

SPREAD TOO THIN

Freedom means choosing your burden. HEPZIBAH MENUHIN

MY HUSBAND and I are serial remodelers. We often finish a project (or sometimes an entire house) only to move immediately on to the next room, or even the next place of shelter, to provide a little TLC (tender loving construction). Because our professions rarely afford us even a small glimpse of some tangible result from our daily toil in the office, I think it’s our way of feeling productive and creative. When we remodel, we actually get to see the fruits of our labor.
During one of those makeovers, this time of the master bathroom, I especially enjoyed the rapid progress of the work. My husband, being the visionary as well as the general contractor for these projects, always looks forward to my critique of our craftsmen’s handiwork (not!). One day, I arrived home to find that the painters had applied their magic. But . . . in one tiny area, over in the corner, the paint was spread too thin.
Although the work (paint job included) was spectacular overall, in this one confined space, the work looked sloppy. It lacked the crispness and the detail that surrounded it. It wasn’t as fresh. It actually looked a little worse than before. I thought I could ignore it-but when I went back to the bathroom to take in the sight of the beautiful tile work-all I could focus on was the wall peeking through the Sherwin-Williams, Rope #SW8001.
Like the paint job, I’m often spread too thin, coming across a bit sloppy-in my relationships, in my work, and in caring for myself. I’m not fresh. I’m not creative. I’m not detailed. I’m not present. I’m just a mess.

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men . . . Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (MATTHEW 5:13,16, NASB)

Are you overcommitted too? Uh-huh. I thought so.
There’s tangible fallout when we overschedule our lives, and the majority of the time, that fallout occurs in the depth and breath of our relationships. We cannot fulfill our life purpose if we become like salt that is tasteless and dull.
You have the right and the power to choose between those things that are causing you to be spread too thin. You also have the obligation. Those in your world are looking for your light to shine. What things can you eliminate today that will allow you to glorify your Father?



January 10

SPREAD TOO THIN
An All-about-Me Life

DO YOU FEEL like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Are you stressed out because there’s just not enough of you to go around? If so, you’ll be able to relate.

It was a bit uncharacteristic of me, but not too long ago, I had a total melt-down. Yep-driving down the road-I couldn’t see a thing for all the rain (and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky).
Here’s what had happened just minutes before: I was running late to a meeting. Not just any meeting. This one was with our adult son, who had recently returned after being missing for over three years and was going through rehab. As I headed out the door, it dawned on me that I was double booked-in addition to the commitment with son, I had two conference calls scheduled for the afternoon.
On top of that, my head was swimming as mothers’ heads do-when had I last called our daughter? It’s always the child who is not in crisis who seems to get the short end of the stick. My cell phone was ringing off the hook as I fished around my purse for my keys headed to the car. My husband was pulling up the rear as we headed out to lunch.
It was while we were standing there in our office parking lot that my husband and I had a major communication snafu on a very minor issue (isn’t that how it always is?). I needed to take my car; he suggested we should drive together. I snapped back a thoughtless response about my lack of “me” time and the state of my personal energy crisis. He implied that I was having an “all about me” moment.
Oh . . . puuhhllleeeeaaassseee.
All about me? All about me?
It took me until about seven that evening to realize he was right. I was having an all-about-me life, because I had encouraged others to depend and rely on me to the point that it wasn’t healthy-for any of us. Nor was it fair.
How often we needlessly, selfishly carry the burden along-not allowing those who care for and love us to shoulder part of our load. How egotistical we must appear; how others must feel that we don’t value them or trust them to help us resolve issues or fix problems. By 3 a.m. I has surrendered my hold on the weight I’d been dragging around.

The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. (PSALM 145:14)

Are you carrying a burden alone too?