It’s one of those days again. I want to crawl under the duvet and stay there.
I feel empty, wrung out and dry. Sleep-deprived. Dog-tired.
A body full of pain and a foggy, M.E mind.
Not at my best but wanting to be here for you just the same.
It’s hard to think straight today, and I’m so thankful God has equipped me to prepare these posts ahead of time.
On days like this it feels like I have nothing to offer God or man. Maybe you can relate?
Perhaps I’m looking at it wrongly.
[bctt tweet=”Maybe my focus should be more on what Jesus has done for me than on what I can offer Him”]
He deserves no less than our best, and it feels like we cannot offer that to Him if we’re exhausted, worn out and weary.
And yet..
Jesus knows our human limitations, inhabited a feeble frame like ours, became frail flesh for us.
He, above all, knows just what we can give and when we’re able to give it.
He wants us to respond out of love for Him rather than duty or obligation.
Jesus understands our every weakness, sees our frailty and pain, and knows our need for rest, to sit with Him a while.
We will always we refuelled, refreshed and restored by spending time in His presence.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” ~ Matthew 11:28 – 28
I believe He wants our overwhelming focus to be more on His generous offering to us than stressing over our response to Him, to rest in His sufficiency and grace alone.
[bctt tweet=”How can we give the King of kings anything He doesn’t already possess?”]
Well here’s an idea or two in no particular order of importance..
- We can offer our lives as willing sacrifice
- We can surrender our agendas
- We can hand over our heartaches, cares and concerns
- We can offer our time and energy, limited though it may be
- We can freely give a sacrifice of praise
- We can share His Good News with others
- We can open our hearts to His presence
- We can learn to sit with silence and allow Him to speak
- We can offer all we possess for His purposes
- We can never stop being thankful to know Him
And in return?
We have Jesus in our life as Lord and Saviour.
We have the ability to do all He calls, anoints and equips us to do.
We have Holy Spirit wisdom to guide our days.
We are able to rest in Him when we are weary.
We have sufficient strength for each new day.
We have boundless mercy, forgiveness and grace.
We are loved unconditionally, endlessly, lavishly.
And that’s something worth offering God deep gratitude and praise for.
May the song below minister to you too.
This is day 17 of write-31-days and five-minute-free-writes. I know I’ve often rambled beyond the allotted time. Thank you for your grace. The rest of this month’s prompts can be found here. We’re on the homeward straight, friends! Thank you for your support. It means a lot. 🙂
I’m also joining in with friends at Weekend Whispers where we meet together to share our faith journeys as we celebrate God’s hand at work in our lives. Come join us?
Words of Joy 
I LOVE that Message translation of Matthew 11:28. That really caught my eye today and I’m so glad to have found it. May you find rest and restoration!
LikeLike
Me too, Kathryn! It brings a whole new meaning to finding rest for our weary souls, doesn’t it? I’m glad you stopped by to read it. May you also find rest and restoration in Him. Bless you, friend.
LikeLike
I love your concrete ideas and ways to give back to Jesus!
LikeLike
Thank you, Anastasia. I love the way God inspires me to write even when I feel exhausted! So pleased you found something to bless you in this post. 🙂
LikeLike
He gives us so much more than we deserve! My heart filled reading your words this morning, JOY! I’m going to work on some of those things on your list today – blessings!
LikeLike
Yes He does! June, I’m grateful that God gave me some words to inspire you with today, because I always come away inspired whenever I visit your site. Have a blessed weekend, my friend.
LikeLike
How I can relate to feeling physically inadequate! It’s hard to be a mom who can barely move and who is bed bound until her back improves. You’ve inspired me – rather than feel low today I will choose to write about His touch on my life! Blessings to you!
LikeLike
Carrie, I’m so sorry to hear how you’re struggling in this way with your health. I’ve found that my focus and attitude really do affect the tone of the day and influence how well (or otherwise) I cope with weakness, fatigue and pain. May you be lifted by a deepening sense of God’s presence and His continual goodness and grace for every circumstance we face. Praying for you.
LikeLike
I’m so sorry you’re having an especially rough time today, Joy. Praying God will fill you with His strength and peace!
“He wants our overwhelming focus to be more on His generous offering to us than stressing over our response to Him, to rest in His sufficiency and grace alone.” This especially pulled me in today. I love the Matthew verse translation. May we “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
LikeLike
Trudy, I am so grateful for your faithful prayers and compassionate understanding on this journey. Thank you, dear friend. May you also live more lightly and freely in God’s “unforced rhythms of grace.” Bless you. x
LikeLike
The message this weekend at my writing conference has focused on rest. One session I visited yesterday was about burnout and you describe it well above. God does see everything about us and we do deserve to give Him our all. The days that are hardest are the ones that we can do our best work for God if we choose to surrender it all to Him. Thank you for words that affirm everything else I am hearing this weekend.
LikeLike
Mary, that sounds like such a needful word to hear. Rest is an essential part of our well-being, our physical, emotional and spiritual wholeness. May you continue to hear those whispered words of grace ministering to you this weekend. I’m touched and humbled to be a small part of the process God is using to lead you closer to His quiet waters. Thinking of you. Blessings and love.
LikeLike
I could have written this post myself. I know I am on the verge of burnout, but I believe the Lord is already helping me to ward that off. It’s so important to rest and in our resting believe that we still have much to offer to God. Perhaps offering Him our rest is the most important.
LikeLike
Barbie, I know where you are coming from because I have been on the verge of burnout many times and needed to heed its warning signs. May you continue to rest well in the Lord and be given all the wisdom you need to make wise choices in this season. And may He grant you peace as you rest and offer it all to Him. Nothing is ever wasted in His hands. Praying for you, my friend.
LikeLike