I said yes to everything.<\/p>\n
I told myself it was for the Lord.<\/p>\n
It wasn't.<\/p>\n
Openchurch in Herning was no more than two years old and growing. I was glad for it.<\/p>\n
But the list of what I had said yes to was getting absurd.<\/p>\n
A growing church. A Bible school where I taught, an hour and a half away. Helping Saddleback Church with pastoral training in thirteen locations across Europe. Three girls at home. A very patient wife.<\/p>\n
And then the hand. I had reluctantly said yes to an operation, because the doctor promised my life would be better afterward. What was supposed to be a routine procedure ended with a damaged nerve. My hand burned constantly, as if it were sitting in boiling water.<\/p>\n
The pain never stopped. Not in the daytime, not at night.<\/p>\n
And still I said yes. Again and again. Because it was for the Lord. Because people needed me. Because I didn't want to let anyone down.<\/p>\n
One day it dawned on me that \"it's for the Lord\" had become a mantra that covered over something else.<\/p>\n
Saying no felt like failing. Like leaving God in the lurch.<\/p>\n
But God never asked me to run myself into the ground.<\/p>\n
There is a difference between sacrifice and self-destruction.<\/p>\n
Jesus withdrew. He went off to the deserted place. He slept in the boat. He let people wait, because he needed to be with the Father.<\/p>\n
Paul writes about stewarding what we have been entrusted with. Stewardship isn't only about money. It's about time, energy, body and soul.<\/p>\n
Setting boundaries is not selfishness. It is taking responsibility for the life God has given you, and for the people who depend on you going the whole distance.<\/p>\n
The pain in my hand is still there. Not like back then. But as a reminder I receive.<\/p>\n
A reminder that the body speaks. And that God sometimes speaks through it.<\/p>\n
What are you saying yes to that costs you too much?<\/p>\n
And when did you last take a break, not because you had to, but because you chose to?<\/p>\n
You can't give from an empty well. Thankfully, God has a spring that never runs dry.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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