Overbooked – Psalm 127:2
It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
Is your mind exhausted and body worn out from your job, home responsibilities, social events, volunteerism, training seminars, and ministries? Are you double, even triple, booked some weekends leaving yourself drained and depleted as you start the workweek again on Monday morning? Do the incomplete items on your “To Do” List frazzle your nerves, burden your mind, and trouble your sleep? If so, sharpen your pencil, and trim your schedule.
Working hard is not enough. We need obedient and love-constrained hearts that direct us to the activities the Father has ordained for us, so our efforts will be profitable for the kingdom of God, and thereby, profit our families and ourselves. For unless we are doing what the Father has appointed us to do at the time He has appointed us to do it, all our hard work will be in vain.[1] We do not want to be like the fools who work to exhaustion without seeking the Lord’s direction, so they never accomplish what they set out to do.[2] Rather we are to live quietly and peacefully,[3] to know the deep sleep of those free from worry and stress[4] and to perform our jobs and service with Christ-honoring diligence and humility.
Are you overbooked? Accept the Lord’s offer of peace and rest, [5] and lay down your workload.[6] Listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and exercise wisdom, knowing that following God’s direction is the way to true and enduring success.[7] Cut the unnecessary, unwholesome, and misdirected from your schedule. Spend your time wisely, so your life will reflect your belief in the Father’s promises to provide exceeding abundance to His beloved. Delight in His goodness, and trust that He will enable you to accomplish all that He has prepared for you to do without frenetic activity that wears you down to the bone.
Put your faith in the Lord instead of your own strength and ability. Walk with Him, allowing Him to direct your paths and pursuits, and watch in awe as He provides for you even while you sleep.[8]
Double booked? Triple booked?
Schedule full last time you looked
Frazzled nerves and pounding head
Need a different way instead
Working hard, but not that smart
Cannot finish what you start
Does the list to be completed
Leave you worn out and depleted
Would perhaps you like to take
A very different kind of break
And sleep all night without a pill
And hear the phone without a chill
Would you like to leave the mess
With your worries and distress
And rise above the toil and strife
To live a quiet, peaceful life
Would you lay your burdens down
Trading hassles for a crown
And majesty and glory reap
To thrive and prosper while you sleep
[1] Psalm 127:1
[2] Ecclesiastes 10:15
[3] 1 Timothy 2:2
[4] Proverbs 3:24
[5] Isaiah 28:12
[6] Matthew 11:28
[7] Ecclesiastes 10:10
[8] Acts 12:5-10
