Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Isaiah 40:28
Running out of gas.
Are you tired? Burned out? Confused? Do you feel like you’re running hard and not getting anywhere meaningful? Maybe you’ve quit running? This happens to all of us at some point or another. We hit the end of our strength. When we’ve pushed so hard that we can no longer push, we can feel discouraged or stuck.
I have totally been there. Through several seasons of life I pushed hard. I tried to gain ground by working harder. Working longer. Planning more. Achieving more. I ran hard in every area thinking I would get ahead, but instead I wore myself out in the process.
The harder I worked, the less time I had to recharge and actually focus and do things well. One lesson I’ve learned is that the harder I’m striving, the less space I’m giving God to work in my situation. When I take everything onto my own shoulders to handle without the Lord, I quickly run out of strength.
Things that burn me out (you, too?):
- Unrealistic expectations (my own, of course)
- Trying to please other people
- Striving for perfection (c’mon can’t I be perfect if I try hard enough?)
- Working endless hours
- Striving to accomplish something in my own strength
- Trying to meet my own needs
- Thinking I have to earn God’s love or approval
- Being busy with…I don’t even remember (that important, huh?)
When my schedule is overwhelmed with all the things I HAVE to do and I feel pressure rising is when I need to stop and regroup and invite the Lord back into what I’m doing.
God as our Source.
When we take our eyes off of Jesus as our source, we quickly put our eyes on ourselves. We look to ourselves for the wisdom and understanding to get ourselves into or out of situations. We look to ourselves for the strength we think we can muster to keep pushing harder. We look to ourselves for creativity and solutions. We look to ourselves for provision. We think if we don’t get it for ourselves then we won’t get it, period.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
Apart from Me you can do nothing. That’s a really bold statement from our Creator. He is basically saying, “you need Me. You can’t do anything without Me.” But we try to do things without Him, am I right (or is it just me)? We run hard without Him. We fix our eyes on ourselves as our source of what we need and we run out the door to fix and solve and do and try. And, we… Burn. Out. We get on the hamster wheel and try and try so hard to get somewhere but we cannot get anywhere on that wheel.
God never asked us to run 100 miles per hour in anything or to strive for specific outcomes. The more we put on ourselves to do, the heavier and more weighed down we become. We get stressed when we take on more than any one person should handle. We get crushed under our own unmet expectations and somehow yet again expect ourselves to pick up the pieces and carry on like we’re stronger. We just grow harder in our hearts.
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
When we invite God into our lives, we open the door to the fountain of living water that we can drink from and never thirst again. We open the door to the author of life Himself. When we wait on Him and trust Him to provide for our needs, suddenly we have more than enough. We have peace in the midst of unsettling situations. We have wisdom for specific decisions. We have strength to continue walking, and not only strength but also joy and thanksgiving. We need Him for ALL of life, not just the little parts we want to give Him.
Our end is His beginning.
God-given dreams and desires are real, and He has such good plans for each one of us. However, when we try to carry those dreams on our own shoulders and figure things out for ourselves, we get discouraged. We burn out. We feel distressed and confused. We wonder if we should have even started down this road at all.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
It’s in our brokenness, our weaknesses, our burnouts, our failings, that God can meet us. In our places of weakness God can show himself as strong in us if we will just trust Him. If you are weary, faint, or lacking strength, God invites you to come to Him. To wait on Him. To rest in Him. To look to Him. It’s all about Him. He has everything we need to equip us for every day.
We want to control our situation by trying harder. But the Lord invites us to rest and turn our eyes to Him. It’s not about trying harder. That never gets us unstuck. It’s about laying down our burdens at His feet and asking Him to carry them and guide us, to lift us up and strengthen us. He can provide for ALL of our needs.
Challenge: Where are you feeling stressed, burned out, confused, or weary? Write down 3-5 things, or even just one thing, that are weighing you down. Give those things to God in prayer. He doesn’t want you to carry a weight that is too heavy for you. Give it to the One who can carry it for you. Will you let the success and entire future of that thing rest in His hand? Will you let yourself stop what you’re doing to take time to soak up God’s goodness toward you? Will you let Him be your source? Will you wait on the Lord and trust Him to give you what you need, even if it’s different than you expected?
