Daily Power #173

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)

A few Mondays ago I walked lifelessly into my office, feeling hungover from preaching all weekend long. While I was certainly exhausted from weeks of nose-to-the-grindstone work, it was all the things coming up next that consumed my thoughts.

I had seven more weekends to preach before having a weekend off, six ministry trips, our annual three-day all-staff event, too many meetings to count, and oh, yeah—a book to complete. After just glancing at my to-do list, I felt paralyzed, frozen in fear. Certainly I couldn’t do it all. No one could. Resisting my emotions, I tried to fight back the tears. My emotions won. The tears flowed against my will.

I was exhausted.

That stress you’re feeling isn’t necessarily just from physical exertion. It’s more like you feel the weight of your responsibilities—being there for family and friends, never wanting to let anybody down, living up to your parents’ expectations, earning enough to pay all the bills. You try to be strong for everybody, the provider, the glue holding everyone’s lives together. Maybe you even feel like your life makes all of their lives possible. If you’re carrying that kind of burden, no wonder you’re exhausted. Acknowledging it is the first step in overcoming it.

Let God lift that load off your shoulders.

You can’t do it alone.

He is with you all the way.

Power Lift

Dear God, as my day unfolds, I often feel overwhelmed by all my responsibilities and the many demands on my time and energy. I can’t, but you can. Show me the way.