Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up – Proverbs 12:25
This week has been filled with a lot of worries. As I prepared to be off work for a while, I found myself feeling as if I was being pulled in numerous directions with not enough time in my day. New responsibilities fell in my lap, last-minute requests came to my inbox and I barely had time to sit at my desk.
I rushed my devotional time to make it to work early and found myself too exhausted to even try again before bed.
Time or the lack thereof got the best of me. The fear of not checking every item off of my to-do list brought on worry. It weighed me down and left me feeling like I had done a whole lot yet nothing productive. Towards the end of the week, I surrounded myself with people who built me up again and brought it all back into perspective.
The truth is worry can steal your joy. The enemy knows exactly how to distract me. He uses my desire for perfection to keep me focused on everything that’s not done instead of truly focusing on my priorities – spending time at the feet of Jesus and being in a community with others.
My coworker said these words last week, “sometimes we have to make time to make time.” This resonated with me because as someone who needs a to-do list, I can’t forget the most important thing which is spending time in the Word because that’s where I am refueled and get my joy.
Maybe you experienced something similar last week where you were in a box of worry. Can we commit this next week to not focusing on getting everything done right but focus on the things that are truly important?
Father, I thank you that your mercies are made new every morning. Help us to not allow our duties to overwhelm us to the point of worry but help us to cling to you every day for the encouragement that we need to keep things in perspective. You have not called us towards a life of perfection but a life that honors you. Lord, I need thee, and help me to never forget that.