When does doing the Lord’s work become a chore?
One day things are going smoothly. The next thing I know I’m swamped with work. What happened? Things were going at such a managable pace. What went wrong? I am told that “nothing” went wrong, but that I need to change my attitude sometimes. I know that.
But where does one draw the line between serving the Lord, and serving the Lord with gladness? If one is overworked, does that make him or her less effective overall?
Stop your whining, is what they tell me.
If there is to be any sort of balance in practical application of the Lord’s work, then I suppose I need to learn to say no more often than not. Either that, or make people understand how busy I am without sounding like the neighborhood whiner. Through conversations with a few friends, I have a greater appreciation for the blessings I do have. Some people I know have gone through some tremendous trials and tribulations over the last while, and it stands to reason that I can get quite selfish when commenting about how stressed I am. I have especially been burdened lately in praying for some of my friends and the things they are going through.
Doing the Lord’s work is about obeying Him, not getting caught up in administrative bureaucracy. Serving the Lord should be a way of life, not a list of chores. And that always goes back to the walk. So, I would suggest that if I make comments about how busy I am, please do not take offence. I just want to serve the Lord effectively, to the best of the abilites He has given me, without compromising on my own spiritual health, thusly affecting the work placed before me in the first place. I just need to learn to adjust my attitude and wording of what I am doing. “Lead a quiet life”, as it says in Thessalonians.