I Can't Do It All

I can’t do it all.

And that’s okay. Actually, that’s more than okay. It’s freedom!

I have places to go, people to see, things to do. Places I’ve always wanted to explore, both in my hometown and around the globe. People who are dear to me with whom I would love to have a good catch-up over a leisurely lunch. Things I need to accomplish and things I want to enjoy. I have a “to do” list that tends to grow instead of shrink. I have endless interests: books I want to read, art I want to attempt, skills I want to learn, ideas I want to research, and a whole world to investigate.

I can’t do it all.

So many changes around us. So many people taking sides. There’s a freedom in not needing to have all the answers. Am I wimping out by saying, “I don’t know”? Maybe. Do I need to research, investigate, and give my brilliant opinion on every complex issue? Possibly. Am I choosing honesty and humility as I concede: there is one Messiah and it is not me? I hope so. Sometimes there is wonderful freedom in deciding I don’t have a horse in this race.

I can’t do it all.

There are seasons in our lives that are EGR: Extra Grace Required. Health issues, job changes, financial stress, life transitions, parenting down with small children or teenagers or grown children, parenting up with aging or ailing parents. Times we may need to say a discerning no far more often than we’d like, so we can say yes to the truly important demands of life. There are even times when success may be distilled down to just making it through the day. God Almighty is omnipotent. I am not. I have God-given limits to protect me (sometimes from myself) as I rely on Him.

I can’t do it all.

The most wonderful thing about the holidays is having time with family and friends. Occasionally, the most challenging thing about the holidays is having time with family and friends. So many fun activities and special things to enjoy. Sometimes a bit of stress in trying to be everywhere and be everything to everybody.

I can’t do it all.

That’s not a declaration of defeat. That’s embracing the freedom to say a carefully discerning no so I can say a truly enthusiastic yes! When I release my feeble attempts at trying to do it all, I am freed to thoroughly enjoy wherever I invest my time and energy.

I believe I need to make decisions in light of eternity and choose to be obedient second by second. That frees me from the regret and angst of the “if only” of the past. That frees me from the anxiety and fear of the “what if” of the future.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;

Nor do I involve myself in great matters,

Or in things too difficult for me.

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;

Like a weaned child rests against his mother,

My soul is like a weaned child within me.

O Israel, hope in the LORD

From this time forth and forever.

Psalm 131

May we be released from the pressure of trying to be everything to everyone all the time. And may we find tremendous freedom, grace, and joy resting in the One True Messiah. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours as you welcome and celebrate Jesus!

Much love,

Linda

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Psalm One Update - August 2019

“My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.” (Psalm 62:1)

This summer I was so blessed to take a prayer pilgrimage, “The Jesus Trip”, as I call it. Alone with Jesus. 18 days. 3300 miles. No television, no streaming, no social media, no phone calls except to Mom. A Bible, journal, and camera. Extended, uninterrupted, unhurried time with the Lord.

• Enough time to let the dust settle.

• Enough safety to let go of the tiredness, grief, stress, and trauma of the past twelve months.

• Enough silence to hear that still, small, but oh so powerful voice.

• Enough solitude to rest on the foundations of the Cornerstone alone.

• Enough creation to focus me on the Creator.

• Enough kind people to assist me and cheer me all along the road.

The Jesus Trip strips away all the trappings of man’s answers and leaves me in the arms of God and God alone. It’s not a vacation. It’s not easy. But it’s worth it. It’s a struggle to respond as deep calls to deep. It can be very hard, very lonely, very raw, very tough to be laid bare. If we let Him, the Lord continually sweeps away our scaffolding, leaving us with nothing to lean on except Himself. And He is more than enough.

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)

I spent most of my time out in the wilderness, but in the Lord’s infinite wisdom, love, and hilarious orchestration, I ended the trip in a family, among friends (whom I had never met before), in a community of faith. Psalm 68:6 says, “God makes a home for the lonely” or literally, “God places the lonely in families”. In an area where few people claim to follow Christ, the Lord placed me in a family of wonderful friends who love Jesus and loved on me.

As I journeyed and prayed, God poured out pages upon pages into my journal.

• Whispers

• Truths

• Remembering

• Questions

• Challenges

• Reassurance

• Celebration

• Training

• Strengthening

• Praise

• Gratitude

Those 18 days passed in a flash, but I’ll be unpacking this list for the next several decades…

I have learned that for me, because of what I do and how God leads me, this is not a luxury. This is as necessary to me as oxygen. From time to time, I need to pull away from the “muchness and manyness” (as Richard Foster calls it) to:

• Clear my mind

• Sort my heart

• Reexamine my priorities

• Refill my tank

• Hear fresh words

• Prepare for what lies ahead

• Renew my strength

Could you use any of this? I realize most people cannot pull away for 18 days (and most people would not want to!), but perhaps you would be rested and refilled by an hour (for a Bible study or other input) or six hours (for a Day of Refreshing) or a weekend (for a Refocus and Refuel Retreat or other soul care). My hope and prayer is to extend a sip—or a cup—of the renewal that only comes from time spent with Jesus. What a joy to link arms with others hungry for the Lord. Come join us for your own Jesus Trip.

Grace and peace,

Linda