You (Your Faith) First
The Overwhelm
You are a real person living in a real world. Every day, your life is bombarded with things to do- things you must do, or should do, or want to do, or want to do better. It can be overwhelming. As a woman, I think we are often in a state of overwhelm. There’s always more to do.
If you aren’t okay on the inside, it’s going to be hard to do all the things you need to do- at least on a long term basis.
Some days you awake feeling lonely, even though your life is full of people; physically drained, even though you slept through most of the night; and emotionally off but can’t quite put your finger on why (or maybe you can). Sometimes you just want to sleep the day away. But you have things you have to do and there are people relying on you. They are counting on you to show up; and to bring your energy, creativity, resourcefulness, and motivation. Sometimes you can do it better than other times. Those other times, it’s a fight- which you sometimes lose.
You First (Your Faith First)
The reality is, sometimes you have to focus on you first. That sounds quite selfish and I questioned whether it is contrary to Isaiah 58 which talks about helping others and finding your blessing when you have done so. I don’t think it’s contrary though.
I merely mean you need time to focus on your spiritual well-being, your soul, your faith. You need daily devoted time in the Word of God: reading, journaling, praying, and meditating upon it. Sometimes you need a spiritual
mom or sister you can talk things out with, to challenge you, and lovingly hold you accountable. You need time to examine your heart; make sure of your own election and calling; and ensure it is well with your own soul.
The Fight
You have to fight to find joy and contentment in Jesus- when you are tempted to find it in checking off your to-do list. I’m reading John Piper’s book entitled, When I Don’t Desire God. It’s a strange name for a book, written by a Christian Pastor and author and I would not have bought it if I had not been inspired by the earlier book, Desiring God. He says he wrote it to help and it does help.
Piper’s point is, we have to fight to find joy in God. It does not come naturally. There are so many distractions in this world, that vie for our hearts. It is a battle to keep Christ Jesus as the center of our joy. Cognitively, we know He should be, but that does not mean He is. We need time to think about that, even cry about it, and then arm ourselves with God’s Word and go to battle against it. It’s an every day battle for some, but well worth the fight.
Conclusion
You need to be spiritually okay, first. Go ahead with your daily duties but make it your top priority. When your heart finds joy in Jesus and being transformed into His image, your day will be all the more sweet. You’ll show up in a better way for your family, for friends, for your employer, in attending to your home, to your finances, etc. It’s hard to focus on and fully show up, when your spiritual bank is running low. You can’t give what you don’t have. So, attend to you first (your faith first)- then your family, finances, and other responsibilities.
