OverLoad: The Problem of Weariness

The following sermon was preached for our friend Day, October 25^th. Friend Day was an amazing success—God really blessed us. This sermon and the ones that will follow it in series are about the problem so many people face: we are overloaded and overwhelmed! Source material and quotes come from Overcoming Overload by Steve & Mary Farrar. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it!

Psalms 62:5-8, Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on Go; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Good Morning & Welcome to the Orange Grove Church of Christ! I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to some barbecue and good fellowship in just a little while… It’s good to be able to worship God with our Friends.

Today we begin a sermon series designed to help us live better lives. Truthfully, the things we will begin talking about today are things friends ought to be able to say to each other, but we don’t. And the reason we don’t is simple: the majority of people, self-included, suffer from the same thing: Overload!

Being overloaded resonates with me. Life is lived at a dizzying pace with more days than not when it seems I meet myself coming and going.

In Overcoming Overload Steve & Mary Farrar write that “overload reminds us of the weight of everyday life. We are overwhelmed, overworked, overcommitted, overanxious, overmatched, and over extended. Our tanks are on empty and we’re running on fumes.”

It reminds me of a rat in a cage running in a little wheel except we don’t run alone or unencumbered. On our backs are huge packs filled with plans, goals, to do lists—and in the left over nooks and crannies we shoved family expectations, educational objectives, and more stuff than we can ever talk about. Frankly, being tired doesn’t do it justice–it’s more like worn out, exhausted, and weary beyond belief. And I suspect you understand exactly what I mean. We run from sunup to sundown and if it’s not the pace of life that gets us, it’s the pressure, and if not the pressure, it’s the pain… and for many of us, it’s a combination of all three.

The problem of being overloaded and overwhelmed is not just a 21^st century phenomenon–no doubt our technology plays into and often exacerbates the problem. However, we live in a 24/7 world that never slows down—a world that could be defined by one word: More! More stuff, more to do, more responsibility, more things vying for our attention. More simply increases the pace, raises the pressure, and creates much pain—and we see it in broken families and shattered lives.

1 Peter 5:8, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

As a roaring lion, the devil tells three lies that threaten to eat us up!
“Lie #1, you can have it all!”
“Lie #2, you can do it all!”
“Lie #3, you deserve it all!”

The first lie: You can have it all? No, you really can’t! We certainly try but there is always something that eludes us—always something more to attain. Getting always prompts more striving to get!

The second lie: You can do it all? No, you really can’t! We all have our own built in limitations. Have you ever stopped to consider what doing it all is doing to you spiritually, emotionally, physically, and relationally? It’s even worse when we fail to recognize the limitations of our spouse and children–their limitations often become our overlooked or ignored limitations—and trying to do it all means hurting the ones we love! The demands on our time are astounding and many of us are going to have to fight hard to find time for each other.

The third lie: You deserve it all? No, you really don’t! Children in our culture often think life is fair when they get what they want and unfair when they don’t. Parents know that’s a skewed view of life—so why do we think the same way? When you think you deserve it all, you’ll do whatever it takes to get it and somebody will always get hurt in the process!

Overload living is like being over drafted in our checkbook except it’s not money we are talking about! Instead it’s an emotional, relational, physical, and spiritual deficit that leeches us of any real and sustainable hope. It happens because we have bought into these three interrelated lies.

Look at Solomon’s words…

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecc. 2:10-11

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. Ecc. 2:17-23

In the coming weeks, we are going to explore some God-answers to the problem of weariness and overload. I hope you will be back to wrestle with us through these important things.

In the meantime, I’d like to offer friends and family alike some of the hope Jesus came to give.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

In The Message, the same passage reads: 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.”

Jesus came to bring hope and relief from our burdens—in particular, Jesus wants us to know not the burden of religion, but the peace and hope of a relationship with Him!

We have a motto which we hope is in actuality our practice: No perfect people allowed, Come as you are!

We aren’t the standard or the standard setters.

Jesus is.

Friend Day

This Sunday is what I hope to be our first annual (or biannual) Friend Day. We have worked hard. Invitations have been given. Lots of clean up has occurred—with more to do.

Last night we prayed by name for those who have been invited—at least on the list we compiled from those who were here for mid-week.

I am starting a new sermon series this Sunday called OverLoad much of which comes from Overcoming Overload, a book written by Steve & Mary Farrer. I am looking forward to it—it addresses some of the problems we have as a culture, as a church, and as individuals with getting bogged down by the accumulated junk we acquire in our lives.

I don’t know what Friend Day will bring. I trust that God will be glorified by our efforts. I trust that seed will be planted. I trust that God will give the increase in His time. What more could I ask for?

Well, there are a couple of things now that you mentioned it.

(You did mention it, right?)

First of all, we covet your prays as we try to reach out to our friends and family. We covet your prayers that we might not just appear but actually be the kind of family others will be attracted to. We covet your prayers to be like Jesus!

Second, if you are in the area, why not give us a visit.

In the bribery department, we are looking to have some mighty good barbecue after services and Sunday school are over…

Worship is @9:00AM with Sunday school following.

Hope to see you there!

Les, Jr.

Seeking Prayers

I get asked quite frequently to pray for this or that person, circumstance or situation.

And who wouldn’t want whatever to be prayed for?

I am always glad to get prayer requests. Unfortunately, if they are not written down, I sometimes forget. Worse, I sometimes just don’t have the prayer life I should.

There are plenty of excuses. Most of them are legitimate busyness—if there is such a thing. But my excuses are simply excuses—because nothing really excuses not taking the time to spend in conversation with God.

Busyness is a problem.

Busyness keeps Dad from interacting with his family like he should.

Busyness means being there but not really there.

Busyness sometimes means we are missing the whole point. Particularly in our churches.

Wow.

Did I say that?

I guess I did…

Sometimes we get so busy doing “church work” or involved in “church things” that we miss the heart of having a relationship with the Savior.

Don’t get me wrong. There are lots of good works and good stuff worth doing. But is it worth it at the expense of our families and our relationships.

Maybe balance is the key. Maybe slowing down and reflecting and reprioritizing would help.

And maybe, just maybe, seeking God in prayer; finding rest in Him is the best answer of all.

So I seek your prayers. I ask that you pray for me—as husband, father and preacher to find balance. And while you are at it, a little prayer on behalf of busy families and busy churches everywhere would be a nice touch as well!

Blessings,

Les, Jr.

Fatty, Fatty, 2 x 4: Don’t Let My Discipline Go Out the Door!

Discipline.

That’s a difficult topic for me. I don’t often have a lot of it and when I do, it’s a real struggle and concentrated effort to get there.

There. Now you know. I do have at least one fault.

The truth is I have lots of faults and many of them stem from a lack of discipline.

I used to joke that I joined the US Navy all those years ago because I needed to get some discipline—and after I got some, I still had 5.5 years left to serve.

Discipline is a weird subject in some ways. I am trying to lose weight and having some success because I finally got into my zone. My zone is that place where the discipline to eat right is well, easy. I am there. Because I am focused on a goal, I have the discipline to see it through. At least for the moment—as long as I can stay in this zone of making it happen.

But believe me, there are plenty of other areas of life where discipline is a fleeting thing.

I wish I could be as disciplined about praying as I am right now about what I eat and working out.

I have tried different prayer regimens and they all work for a short time. I am focused and committed and seeking God in prayer and… I wonder what we are having for supper… hmm, is the game I want to watch on at six or seven tonight?

See what I mean?

Life, whether important or not, always gets in my way. I lose focus. I lose discipline. And my prayer life, remember the old song, dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinkin’ to high heaven? Yep, that’s me.

Just as weight loss ultimately has to become an embraced way of life, prayer has to become not a ritual, but a daily communion with God—not because I should or I have to, but because I want to talk and commune and be in the presence of my great God—who in His mercy and grace just happens to be the biggest source of discipline and encouragement when I fail.

I wish for you discipline in every area of your life. But more than that, I wish for you the kind of relationship that has you communing with God on a constant basis.

I am still working on it—with God’s help and yours, maybe we can both get there!

Les, Jr.