GET YOURSELF REPLENISHED!

We love to help people. We love to say yes, but it is easy to get so caught up in trying to meet other people’s needs and measure up to their expectations that we put our needs or the needs of our family aside. Some personal needs of our being should never be neglected. That is why we need to always set some good time aside and get ourselves replenished! The scripture says, ”I will satisfy the weary, and all who are faint I will replenish”. Jeremiah 31:25

There are demands at work, doing what you have to do for the day. We can’t let anyone down, but sometimes to fulfil your destiny, you have to know your limits. You are God’s creation. He has entrusted you with talents and dreams. You are valuable. It’s important to take out time to replenish yourself and re-energize. You shouldn’t be so busy that you don’t have time to be alone, have time to laugh or time to eat healthy or exercise. 

If you are giving all the time and never filling back up, you are going to be depleted, and it’s dangerous to live with a never get tired mentality that says, I have to be involved in everything, have to be at every event.  I can’t say no. What will people say if I do? People will take as much as you give them. They will let you work 24 hours a day if you do it, but when you are mentally run down, emotionally drained, and physically worn out, that is not just doing you a disservice. It is doing your family and those around you a disservice. Not only that, it’s not healthy. It is causing you to live overwhelmed with stress. 

Nobody can make this change to get you replenished except you. You have to be the one to say, I’m going to make some adjustments. I’m going to keep myself healthy, spiritually and physically. I’m going to make sure that I’m taking care of my emotional well-being, taking care of this temple that God has given me, and it’s okay to say no sometimes.

The people who are counting on you to perform, to be there for them may never say, why don’t you take a break? Take the day off, and spend it doing what you want to do. I will cover for you. They don’t always know that you are emotionally spent, that you are on your last battery. Only you can know that. When you step back to get yourself replenished, people may say, what’s going on? 

When you make these adjustments, don’t be surprised if you feel guilty, I should be helping. I should be at my neighbour’s… I should be working late. Don’t be guilty of making a decision that gets you replenished. You can’t work all the time, serve your family all the time, and be strong for others all the time. Sometimes like Jesus, you need to pull away. You need a moment to recharge and get yourself replenished. (Mark 1:35)

When Jesus was on the earth, He went around healing people, teaching in the synagogues, lifting people, and spending time with His disciples. Everywhere He went, there were needs. People would come up and ask, will you heal my child? Will you come to our city? Will you come to my house? (John 11:1-44)

People made constant demands on His time and energy. As the Son of God, He had this incredible power, anointing and wisdom. He had so much to offer. He loved helping people. Yet at times, He was tired. The scripture says He would go away from the crowds up into the mountains to be alone so He could get Himself replenished. He could have felt guilty, could have thought, there were so many needs. There are people to heal and lepers to cleanse. 

Jesus could have said I can’t take a break. But Jesus knew He had to take care of His temple. And the reason some people are not enjoying life is because their account is overdrawn. They are good at letting other people make withdrawals. They work hard, try to meet expectations, and keep everyone happy, but they don’t get filled back up.

Despite all the needs around you, despite what your children, your spouse, your job, and your friends are counting on you for, like Jesus, you have to have these times to get alone and get yourself replenished. When you live drained, and depleted, you won’t be as productive as you should be. You won’t have the stamina to overcome challenges or temptations. You won’t enjoy your family like you should. There will be more strife and conflict, but you will be amazed at what will happen when you get yourself replenished.

Jesus said to love your neighbour as you love yourself. That means you need to love yourself to love others. You need to have grace for yourself to have grace for others. You need to get yourself replenished so that you can replenish others. So be loving towards yourself. Yes, you want to be a great parent, but you don’t have to be a parent that doesn’t have time to get yourself replenished. 

Yes, you want to do great at your job, but you don’t have to work to the point of exhaustion. It’s good to want to volunteer at church, but you don’t have to say yes to every opportunity. If Jesus knew His limits, and He recognized the importance of rest, then we should too. We can try to do everything. We can try to be Superman or Superwoman but that is not healthy and it’s not God’s best. So take your time and get yourself replenished.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS!

Sometimes when it comes to being overwhelmed and burned out, it’s not other people’s expectations that are the challenge. It’s our expectations. We feel guilty if we are not doing everything we think needs to be done. If we are not meeting everyone’s needs. After all, we think we have the ability, the talent, the anointing, but you also have a physical body. 

As Jesus showed us, our physical bodies have limits. Jesus had to get away to keep being His best. If he had lived depleted, He would have short-changed Himself. The best thing He could do was to get himself replenished. You need to have time regularly to get yourself replenished. Don’t make the mistake of living life in an overdrawn account.

 It’s not difficult to change. Regularly, start doing what replenishes you, strengthens your spirit and fills you back up. This may mean you have to say no to some things. You may have to disappoint a few friends. Say, sorry, I can’t be there today. The apostle Paul was supposed to travel to the city of Corinth and visit the people in the church he had started. He told them earlier that he would be coming and they were planning for his visit, but Paul encountered great challenges in Asia and changed his plans. (2 Corinthians 1:23)

This was the apostle Paul who spent years in missionary travel and church planting. He tells them that he felt so overwhelmed, he didn’t think he could go on. To continue with the visit, would require additional strength on his part because there were painful challenges within the church that needed correction and instruction. He could have thought, I have to keep my word to them. They are already expecting me. What if they get upset? What if they don’t understand?

However, Paul knew his limits. Yes, he was powerful. He was inspired by God to write: “I can do all things through Christ.” (Philippians 4:13) Yes, he prayed and prison doors flung open, but he understood this principle that it was up to him to replenish his physical and emotional well-being. He knew that he couldn’t operate at his best if he was depleted, drained, and worn out. So he sent a letter saying in effect, I’m sorry, I can’t come. He could have had a never-tired mentality, though they were counting on me. I’m the one they look up to. I can’t let them down.

He said I’m overwhelmed. I have to get myself replenished. Once I get filled back up and I’m healthy, whole, and restored, then I will come visit you. There are times you have to be bold like Paul and say no to too much, no to exhaustion and depletion. No to doing things out of guilt and pressure. I’m not talking about living selfishly. I’m talking about living balanced, recognizing that you have to get your physical and emotional well-being replenished. 

Yes, be good to others. Be a blessing whenever you can, but also know your limits. If you can’t be a blessing every time, that’s okay. If you can’t go to Corinth like Paul couldn’t, people may get upset. They may try to make you feel bad, but they are not responsible for your health. They are not going to give an account for your assignment. It’s not heroic to try to meet everyone else’s expectations and miss your destiny.

How much brighter and happier and further along you could be if you do like Jesus and regularly, take time out to get refreshed and get yourself replenished? That means taking care of your temple physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Too many people are burning out. You can go for a while living out of balance, but eventually, it will catch up with you. We need to learn to be okay with saying no. We need to learn the importance and the power of rest. 

What you have to offer is amazing… Your gifts, your talents, your love, and goodwill however you must always take time to get yourself replenished. If you do this, I decree and declare you are going to feel weights lift off you. You are going to live longer, freer and healthier. You are going to have better relationships, and more energy, and become all you were created to be, in Jesus’s name.

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’