Fatigue
What is it about the time we live in that the majority of us are busy and just warn out. I think about this a lot. Do we have more responsibilities now than ever before or are we simply trying to take on too much? I think that this is an important distinction and the answer maybe a little of both. I believe our society expects a lot more from people than in the past. In general living in America we have so many choices. In many regards this can be good, as choices drive competition which improves quality. However, it can become very time consuming and depending on what choice you are trying to make it’s easy to become a slave to our choices. For instance, do we really need over 260 cereals to choose from? We get so overwhelmed with buying the “best” thing that we miss out on more important things. If we look at our workplace, we tend to complain about meetings or maybe staying late at the office, but do we really need to stay late or even have all the meetings? Is the extra work that we do really amount to much or does staying busy make us feel more important? Are we able to step away when we recognize that we are fatigued, or do we just keep pushing? In a society where we are encouraged to do more, be more, don’t stop, it is exhausting. We strive to paint the perfect picture that is unobtainable or not sustainable yet aim to post it on social media. This cycle can go on and on if we allow until we break.
Friends, if we don’t take ownership of our thoughts and choices then no change can occur. But in order to determine what needs to change we have to identify an area that we want to improve. So, how do we navigate the waters to live our best life. I think a good place to start is prayer, asking ourselves questions and seeking guidance from friends that are grounded in the word. In John 15:5 we are reminded that God is the vine and we are the branches, that without Him we can do nothing. Making time for Lord through prayer should be a priority.
Then starts the self-evaluation. I picked my day to day life and started asking questions. I asked what is it I am doing on a daily basis? Am I effective and efficient or just spinning my wheels. Are there things I’m doing that could wait or be deleted from my schedule. I made a list to help me visualize. This enables us to work through hard things and hopefully come out of our situation with a plan. In Ephesians 4, Paul talks about how God has equipped us for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. If we aren’t spending time with God and aligning our day to day to maximize the gift(s) he has given us to serve others, then we are not being effective.
One example for me would be electronics. If you know anything about my short comings, you know I am pretty horrible with electronics or any social media platform. I’ve always wanted to be better but not to the point where I would let improving that skill take away from something, I’m doing that I value more. Until recently, I would say I pretty much ignored social media. Is that wrong? Maybe, I’m sure I missed out on some things but for the most part I believe it is what God had for me in that season of my life. If I would have made social media a priority several years ago the energy spent here would’ve taken away from my family and carrier. I would have spent hours trying to figure out the simplest things. While society was pushing me to learn social media, I had to stay focused on what God called me to do in that season. Now that my kids are getting bigger, I’m starting to shift some of my energy. One of the areas I’m working to improve is to grow deeper connections with you and others out there that want to talk through the real things of life.
We all know that our time on earth is short. You have to be intentional but have flexibility. The trick for me is picking 3 areas to focus on and everything else I try to have fall around those or wait. I would love to hear how you manage through fatigue and make changes to be your best self!