There's a good exchange so far on "on the way", yesterday's post where I started pondering why we get burned out on "doing God's work". On the email list, Ailina mentioned that she's just keeping her heart focused on getting God, spending time with Him, and how that's not leading to burn out but that she recognizes it could happen when things pick up in her schedule soon. She wrote: "in growing closer to God, my spirit is consistently renewed." That is so real, isn't it? Because when we do these things under our own steam, that renewal is missing. And that's where I think the burnout comes in today's christian circles.

I think that's the direction I want to follow first - that burn out comes not because we're doing too many things, but because we are doing them with the wrong motivations. Pastor Mike asked an interesting question a couple of weeks ago: What would be left if God removed from the church all the things He never called us to do? I think it's like that in my life, so many things that I think might be "godly" in some way, but that God never called me to. Whether it's pride or "positive peer pressure" or wanting to impress church folks, if it's not energized by grace it's going to suck us dry, isn't it?

That's a test for our schedules: how much of this stuff is making me more like Christ, is drawing me nearer to Him in prayer and study, is challenging me to follow Paul's course in Phil. 3:12-16? Or, how much of my time is boring, is sapping me of my energy and strength, is making me frustrated and angry with others, is pulling me away from prayer and the word?

More on this tomorrow, because I want to get past improper motivation and really meditate on getting after God's heart...
- posted by Rick @ 09:43