Tuesday, August 2, 2011

When You Are All Wrung Out




Isn’t it easy to neglect ourselves to meet the needs of everyone around us, and call it self-sacrifice? It sounds godly. But in doing so we risk shutting down a place in our soul where God’s dreams and gifts are waiting to be revealed. The truth is: you and I were not designed to be whom others expect us to be, or even want us to be. We were created to become all that God planned for us to be."
Renee Swope


Well good day my friends....This blog comes from an article I read recently. The title is "Look Out For Overload, Know Your Capacity".  It was written by Jane Rubietta. I like this lady....I could be friends with her. She starts out her article talking about this awful screeching noise she hears coming from her basement. She says she ran down the stairs and all she could smell was the scent of burnt rubber and smoke filling the air. It was the washing machine. She opens the lid of the machine and says she found at least 25 pounds of teenage jeans, sheets, and towels. Apparently the machine had been overloaded one to many times and it had worn out the bearings and the belt had slipped off. Ouch! She says her children had broken all the rules. She also says and I agree that she loves the idea of the manufacturer setting practical and knowable limits to the appliance and we should know how many items our machine can handle and stay within that limit. Jane says too that she had thought of setting a scale next to the washing machine.

Now Ms. Jane goes on in the article to compare the washing machine to our bodies and minds. This is where it hit home to me. We as christian women do not know sometimes how to use the word No. If someone ask us to do something we feel obligated to say yes, no matter how we may be may feeling physically or mentally. Now what compels us to do this? Why aren't we Christians? Isn't that the christian thing to do? In the article Jane talks about the "load limits" that the creator of the universe puts on our minds and bodies. We were created to do only so much and Father God knows exactly what we can handle. When we exceed our "load limits" our bodies and minds can break down. When this happens we, on the light end, can and do become grumpy, irritable and just plain mean. Now if this behavior continues, our bodies and minds begin to break down and fall apart. Depression, heart attacks, strokes can happen.

Now let's talk about how to keep this breakdown from happening to our "wonderful machine". Our maker, creator God created each one of us to be unique. Not one of us is created exactly like the other. My neighbor Ms. Martha may be able to wake up in the morning get the husband and children off to work and school, clean the whole house, go out and work in the garden, come in and can tomatoes and then prepare for everyone to come home. She then greets the children and husband at the door, gets the children started on homework, answers phone calls from her group leader at church, prepares dinner and finishes her day by greeting her husband in the boudoir showered and smelling sweet. I know ladies like this. Oh my gosh...I want to say. I am not Martha. If I were to try and do what she does, I would break down. My creator did not make my machine to handle the same load amount. Well how do we know what we should and should not be doing? That my friend is where prayer and meditation on God's word comes in. The Creator did give us a owner's manual and yes the Bible would be said manual. When I read the owner's manual and pray to my Maker and ask him to guide me, he is faithful and will do so.

My friends I want to encourage you to find time to get alone with your creator and talk to him...he is listening and will speak to you if you will listen. He knows you better than you know yourself.  The noises and voices of this world will try and tell you how and what you should do. Be careful about giving in to those things. They can and will wear your body and mind out.

The following are some scriptures that you might study and meditate on.....

Eph. 5:15-17 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Col. 1:9  So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.