You Are Not Called to Live a Frazzled Life

Then why is it so easy to get caught up in the crazy cycle of doing? 

Currently my life spins at warp speed in multiple directions (and I don’t even think that’s possible). It’s too easy to say yes to every good thing, thinking I can stuff it in somewhere. 

Friends, here’s a profound thought I want to share with you:

Stuffing everything in won’t work!

You will eventually burst at the seams. I know, because I’m getting close. 

Live Abundantly, Not Frazzled

In the New York Times best-selling book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Author Greg McKeown wrote this: “only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.”

To paraphrase in my terms: only once I stop trying to do it all, can I discover and pursue what God has truly called me to and equipped me for. 

Only once you stop trying to do it all, can you discover and pursue what God has truly called and equipped you for. Click To Tweet

In her excellent blog article, You Don’t Need to Do it All, Author Holley Gerth says it this way: “This world will wear us out. The enemy of our souls would love to see us distracted by anything ‘good’ that’s not God’s best.”

We get so caught up in our world’s demands on us, or what we perceive to be its demands, we miss having time to enjoy Jesus. Enjoy Jesus … how beautiful is simply the sound of that! 

But that’s part of grace! Not having to strive to do it all. Not having to be perfect or perform at your best all the time. 

We still have a part to do, just not the whole! Jesus is leading each of us to a destination. He has a calling on each of our lives.

This calling, it’s unique to each of us and never requires any of us to carry the weight of the whole world. 

God has a calling on each of our lives, but it's a part to do, not the whole. #Grace is we don't have to do it all. Click To Tweet

Where Is Jesus Leading You?

Smack in the middle of my whirlwind of doing and realizing it’s not good, a friend and author, Suzie Eller, posted this reflection for today’s blog linkup: “where Jesus is leading me.”

Perfectly timed, the prompt caused me to think deeply about what His leading looks like in my life. It made me face my frazzled state head on. 

So, where do I see Jesus leading me? 

1. He’s leading me nearer to Him. This is a universal calling. He’s leading you there too. 
2. He’s leading me to love my family better. We are all being led here too. 
3. He’s leading me to share the promise of His abundance with women bogged down in their mess (my unique and individual calling).
4. He’s leading me to let go of the rest. 

That’s it. In order to do these 4 His-best-things-for-me well, I must turn down other assignments and opportunities that come my way.  And that’s the hardest part. 

It’s rarely easy to say no to good things. But saying yes to the wrong good things prevents us from doing our best things—those tasks and activities we are uniquely equipped to do. 

What a difficult lesson to learn and even harder to implement! Yet I’m committed to gaining clearer focus and more self-discipline in this area. 

Because you and I are not called to live a frazzled life. We’re called to live free in Christ. We’re called to live in the abundant life He has for us.

And accepting that call often requires saying no. 

You and I are not called to live a frazzled life. We're called to live free in Christ. Click To Tweet

Reflections: Are you living in a frazzled state? To obtain some clarity on the best call on your life, try asking the question, where is Jesus leading you?  

By His grace ≈

Julie