Sometimes we can become too self absorbed in the "tasks" of the day in the "needs" of ourselves, and others ......and fall prey to rigid schedules and expectations on our selves and others.......that we lose the precious time that HE would have for us to be with him, or sharing the gospel with another.... creating more stress, frustration, and a feeling of failure at the end of our day......despite the fact that it may seem that all we do would be in "service" to the Lord..... "good things"...... serving each other as if they we were serving Jesus as the scriptures say....... We may lose our perspective or priority.....put the cart before the carriage, if you will,...... and forget or lose sight of who really Meets all of our needs.....and who appoints who should meet our earthly needs and others needs.....and the priority of doing so.......
Sometimes we may take on too much...robbing ourselves and others of seeking God for sustaination and learning the valuable lesson of seeking him first....... and the reward of seeing that be answered...... or not.......and, if not, the value in learning to be content with the status quo' or the strength that is sometimes found in seeing God give you the strength to endure, to mature and be refined..........some of us are gifted in the area of service, we quickly perceive or anticipate a need..... we "jump" in to "serve" or meet a "need" before considering what the Lord sees.....we then, may possibly be robbing the joy and lesson that another might gain from serving another, Or....that the Lord is allowing the person in need...to be in need.....and to work thru that on their own.......On the flip side we may not take on or serve enough....not be sensitive or perceptive or maybe not willing....The choice to not serve or be involved...... to have no expectation of your self or perception of anothers need may result in self centerdness and self sustaination that isn't reliant on God........
Ironically, I have come to believe, both these scenarios can be harmful....too much "good" serving, parenting, housekeeping etc.....can be counter productive when the end of our day results in frustration, over~whelment, or disappointment.......we put our selves at risk if we are not prioritizing our day the way the Lord would have it........starting our day, conducting our lives the way God has asked us too........ All of this can feel overwhelming....and frustrating......we all are faulty in thinking we know best......finding the balance is such a tender place...
In a book i am reading for our ABF class (Crazy Love by Francis Chan).....he asks...."do you recognize the foolishness of seeking fulfillment outside of Him?" we spent our entire class time discussing this first sentence of a chapter......most of us at a glance would say yes of course! but with deeper examination and soul searching I think most of us would have to deduct that we really do not......I think we look for fulfilment constantly in our expectations of life, our expectations of others, our expectation of ourselves and.....our expectation of God instead of focusing on HIS expectation of us.....and how he can fulfill us....guide us and give us peace if only we OBEY! In every facet of our lives...
