You can’t do it all…
“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” – Genesis 2:2 (NKJV)
December has always been my favorite time of the year with all of the Christmas celebrations, cooler weather, and getting to be around friends and family. It makes it such a special time for connection and celebration. This time of year, however, has also become one of the most overwhelming times for me. End of year due dates are quickly approaching, preparations for Christmas festivities, thinking of new year’s resolutions and goals, and all that on top of whatever day to day things life throws at you. Not to mention the extra added stresses of any Christmas service events your ministries have planned for December.
We always have the best of intentions at wanting to do it all, especially those of us on the front lines of ministry, but it is easy to fall into that trap of trying to get things done just for the sake of getting things done. We often forget to take care of ourselves in the process. We can’t do it all.
There’s a theory proposed by David Sedaris called the “Four Burner Theory”. It states that our life is made up of four burners that you have on a stove -family, work, friends, and health - and explains the idea that life comes with tradeoffs. We can either choose to live with all four burners on low/medium in order to experience balance in our life, or if we want to be high performing in one area, we have to turn another burner off completely. When we try to keep all four burners lit on HIGH and pursue greatness in every facet of our lives, we start to experience burnout, life seems unmanageable, and we start to lose control of our lives.
It's such a hard thing to accept, but I do believe this is the word that we as ministry leaders really need to hear…
We can’t do it all, and that’s okay!
We aren’t superhuman beings that never need to rest or eat or can go for days without having to recharge. We aren’t supposed to be all things to all people, only God can be that. God has surrounded us with a Network of amazing people along with the blessing of family and friends that we each have in our corner. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to say no sometimes. It’s okay to meet your own needs and not just the needs of those that you serve. Because if we neglect ourselves too much, we won’t have anything left to give to others.
Why else would God make it a commandment to take a day of rest for Sabbath? Why would He who is all powerful, rest on the 7th day after making all of creation? Because God knows our tendencies and that we tend to see rest as a weakness, unproductive, or selfish. When in reality it’s necessary to rest, and it is a sustainable blessing to those around us when we take care of ourselves - because then we are better prepared to do the work that God has called us to for the long haul.
So be encouraged that we can’t do it all, and that God accounted for that when he established His master plan. He sent Jesus to die for us, because we alone were not capable to provide our own salvation. He gave us one another with different gifts to help each other and commanded us to rest REGULARY (every seven days to be exact). Don’t be discouraged by the lies of our society that you aren’t doing enough. Instead, hold firmly to the truth that God didn’t make you “to do it all.” He made us to walk in community with another, to rest on him, and to do what we can in obedience to his call. So do just that and be encouraged that God doesn’t expect perfection from us – otherwise we would all be in serious trouble!
Merry Christmas Wildfire Mission Leaders and enjoy this holiday season in celebration of Christ’s birth,
We love you,
The Wildfire Network
(December 2022 Fuel Written by Chandler Merritt)
RESOURCE: David Sedaris’ “Four burner theory”
https://jamesclear.com/four-burners-theory