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The delusion of unlimited time and energy

Published about 2 months ago • 2 min read

The enemy, our culture, and our own lack of faith and discipline deludes us into believing that we not only CAN take on unlimited responsibilities, but it also deludes us into believing that we MUST take on more and more.

The delusion of unlimited time and energy

The delusion of our hustle culture

When you get delusional about your ability to take on extra things, you set no limits. And eventually this wears you out. To restrict your work hours takes faith and much discipline.
(Looper, Terry; Bearss, Kris. Sacred Pace: Four Steps to Hearing God and Aligning Yourself with His Will)

Two things stood out for me here. The first is his use of the word, “delusional.” This is such a strong word, but this is really what it is. The enemy, our culture, and our own lack of faith and discipline deludes us into believing that we not only CAN take on unlimited responsibilities, but it also deludes us into believing that we MUST take on more and more.

I have experienced firsthand how this plays out when I went through a traumatic period of burnout. I chose to do things that God had not necessarily called me to do, in desperate attempts to please a client in order to keep a job I hated, in order to provide for my family.

Some of it was brought about by the mismatch between my skills and the work I took on, which was also linked to me taking on responsibilities from my team's workload – responsibilities which were not necessarily mine to carry. I could have trusted God a whole lot more there. Trying to carry it did not serve my team, it did not serve me, it did not serve my family. It did not serve God.

The only thing it served was my own insecurity and my desperate need to be seen as competent and successful. And it ended up simply exposing irrelevant incompetence and a season of utter failure.

The Antidote: Truth, Faith, Wisdom, and Discipline

The opposite of this lie is to be reminded that Jesus said that He did nothing, except what He saw His Father do; and to believe Him when He says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

I have to recognise that by doing things that God has not necessarily called me to do, in a desperate attempt to provide for my family, or to somehow work myself into fulfilling God's calling for my life, I actually end up achieving the exact opposite of both of these goals.

It takes faith, wisdom, and discipline to not allow this to happen. This really IS a battle, and it is a battle that is not just going to go away. It is a battle you and I must fight and win, and probably keep fighting for the rest of our lives, because the enemy will never let this go. We will always be sorely tempted and threatened and cajoled into allowing ourselves to take on more than we can handle, to try to get everything done that can be done; to not be selective and focused on the most important things that must be done.

To you success

Ashton

5-2-50 is a Movement dedicated to creating a million good jobs by growing 25 000 small businesses of at least 5 people, that have been running for at least 5 years, to 50 people or more.
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