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It is easy in the Christian life to get caught up in living out our purpose; to do and be all that God has made us to do and be. And in churches today, finding our purpose in life is one of the hot topics preached about from the stage.
Volunteers in church can be hard to come by, and people are a wonderful resource, so pastors sometimes use this type of message for their own gain. After all, it takes a tremendous amount of energy and work to get big things accomplished “for Jesus”. Is it really about Jesus, though? Sometimes I wonder if it has more to do with a pastor’s drive to achieve or need for personal validation.
Without a doubt, God made us with certain gifts to serve within the Body of Christ. However, He never intended us to strive so hard for man that we would end up burned out and at the end of ourselves.
After months and months of endless caregiving and serving sacrificially at one church I attended, I found myself completely exhausted emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. This was also at a point in my life where I had a lot going on personally and with my family. I found myself questioning if my pastor was concerned for all I was going through in my life, or only concerned with the work I was doing for the church.
The modern-day American Church has begun to feel like a machine, at least to me. People are part of it and need to keep that machine going. Sometimes it seems as if people don’t have value, feelings, or deserve care. It seems like they are just tools to be used for pastors to accomplish their goals and dreams.
I wondered then if God was just using me as well, and if He loved me only because of what I could do for Him. I remember crying out to God, “Lord, if you want me to run myself into the ground for you, I will, but I am just so tired!” It was in that moment of honest, prayerful desperation that I was reminded of this verse in Matthew:
“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
Those are the words of Jesus himself, who doesn’t wish for us to burn ourselves out doing things “for Him”. Service is good and sacrifice is part of the Christian life, but certainly not at the expense of our physical, mental, and spiritual health. He desires for us to learn from Him and His gentle and humble way of living. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Our True Shepherd, Jesus, is always available and gracious to those who are weary and heavily burdened.