Doing, Building, Working: Is it all in vain?

Welcome friends, to this Monday's Marker. I'm late with my post this week and I apologize. I promise it's for good reason.

I'm a Nana again!! I now have three beautiful granddaughters. The newest one (Aubrey Elise) made her entrance last Wednesday afternoon. I was on toddler duty with her big sister, Sadie, who's two and half.

When I'm with Sadie, nothing else happens or gets done. I threw multi-tasking out the window a few years ago. All my writing, working or making phone calls goes to the to-do stack when I'm in Nana world, which I love.

While waiting for sweet Aubrey to arrive, my world outside of Nanahood kept spinning. Events beyond my control surfaced, such as:

• The single parent ministry I founded lost its director. 
• Important schedule conflicts surfaced on my calendar. 
• An upcoming event at my house my husband and I host each year was happening in several days.
• My "real" job still awaits, along with priority writing projects.
• The head cold I'd been fighting all last week finally won.

I ended my week hitting a wall of fatigue. When I got home from my daughter's on Friday, I crashed, knowing Saturday was coming along with about 30 people for our event. Which is tons of fun and all good, but nevertheless required me to keep going.

When my head hit the pillow last night (Sunday) I had nothing prepared for today. I always have a blog scheduled for you to go live every Monday morning.

This morning when I got up, still nothing. I sat in a stupor before the Lord during my quiet time, somewhat overwhelmed with stinking thinking, a bad attitude and questioning why I do all that I do.

I struggle with over committment and have to be careful. But sometimes when I honestly inventory all I'm doing, I feel there's nothing I can let go.

When I begin feeling frustrated with God, asking, why He called me to do this thing or that thing, I know the issue is with me. There's something I can and must let go.

I rely on God's word and His spirit in me for guidance every morning. It's not because I'm such a devoted, godly woman, but because I need Him. I need His fellowship. I need Him to fill me up each day. This is the only way I roll.

I turned to my scheduled reading plan for the day and in Psalm 127:1-2, this is what I read:

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor 
in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, 
the watchmen stand guard in vain. 

In vain you rise early and stay up late, 

toiling for food to eat for he grants sleep to those he loves.

I just love it when God does this!

So I asked Him, "Am I laboring in vain?"

I felt His gentle nudge and reminder about the wise woman.

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands 

the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1

"Lord, am I being a foolish woman?"

He reminded me that doing, building and working in vain is when you're doing it to people please, for appearances sake; or out of fear of man's rejection. It was as if He said, "just be careful." 

God cautioned me that I was headed in that direction...again. I immediately removed one small event off my plate that I knew wasn't necessary, even though it was good.

God's reminder also kept me from assuming a certain role with the single-parent ministry despite losing our director. 

The reality is there will always be a schedule conflict, requiring me to prioritize prayerfully. 

Do you struggle with over-committment? Do you feel that all you're doing is in vain and fruitless?  

When I'm seeking only to please my Heavenly Father, the frustration fades. I am fulfilled and fellowship with Him is sweet. When I seek to please only Him, He shoulders the responsibility of the outcome; not me.

If you're like I am and need to be careful to not overload yourself, be encouraged that God does not call us to "all these things." He calls us to Himself...first. 

Then all we do will be an overflow of His work in our life. 

Will you stay the course with me by pleasing Him only? 

Feel free to share in the comments below your experiences with over committment. 

Terri