Lessons For Living Life Wide OpenSample

There’s a lot of pressure today to say yes. Things move at a faster pace than ever before, and we have to keep up with so much. We have jobs, relationships, social media, church activities, school activities, sports, ministry, and more. And if we don’t recognize—or if we just ignore—the signs of overload, we will soon find ourselves on the couch thinking our heads will explode. We need to know when enough is enough and when to say, “You know what? My batteries is all gone. I’m saying no.”. . .

I love the story of Jesus feeding the thousands of people after teaching them for hours. Stories like this inspire me to service, and when I read in Mark 6:34 that “he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd,” I want to do more for my fellow man. But I also simply cannot ignore what Jesus did after teaching and feeding the crowds.

He retreated. . . .

Yes, even Jesus needed a break. Why? Because in his time on earth he was fully man, and man needs rest. We need rest from our work, our ministry, and even our relationships. Jesus could have gotten into the boat with the disciples; in fact, it would have made more sense to us (and to them) if he had. After all, a storm was brewing, and Jesus knew his friends would be scared—so he probably should’ve gotten in the boat to comfort them, right?

Wrong.

There will always be more work to do. There will always be ministry waiting and people in need. Matthew 26:11 says, “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”. . .

I want to give my best to the people I love and the work I’m called to; I’m sure that’s what we all want when it comes down to it. But we can only do that if we recognize the signs of overload in our lives and know when to say, like Mareto, “My batteries is all gone.”