Tired of Trying

Frustration. Fatigue. Burnout.

Good-meaning Christians can fall into this trap if they aren’t careful. In the secular world, we call people who get to this point “workaholics.” The advice the world gives is that these people need to reorder their priorities and learn to say “no” to new things. They need to schedule a little “me” time.

For Christians who get burned out, saying no and scheduling time for themselves might not always be the correct answer. Instead, they need to focus on the reason they are working so hard. It can be hard to admit sometimes that we are working because we feel like if we work hard enough, God will love us more. It’s human nature to try and achieve our own salvation, but Christianity is unique in that Christ has already achieved it ALL by His death and resurrection. Labor for Christ – but always do so out of the joy and love that He pours into us and through us. Our focus should not be on our accomplishments, but on loving Christ and drawing closer to Him.

For the last few months at my church, we have been focused on a “gospel prayer” which illustrates this mindset:

Heavenly Father,
In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more, and nothing I have done that makes You love me less.
Your presence and approval are all I need for everlasting joy!
As You have been to me, so I will be to others!
As I pray, I’ll measure Your compassion by the cross and Your power by the resurrection!

That’s the idea behind the song, “Tired of Trying.” For more of the story behind this song, read this post as well.

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