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An Unfulfilled Spirit
Dear
Girlfriends,
According
to the Barna Research Group, church attendance dropped 13% from 1992 to 2003 -while
the population of America grew by 9%. But I have a theory that it's not always
the church or synagogue that we're burned out on. I surmise the root cause of
our unfulfilled spirit is not corporate worship but a far more personal
dilemma. I believe our emptied spirit is the result of despair.
I was one
breath away from burnout; my spirit was drained. I was so worn out with praying
and waiting for a specific outcome
that I just could hardly stand to pray or wait any more. Day by day, my faith
wasted away a little more. I was running out of time, money, hope, and
solutions of any kind. My mind-melting despair had trumped my faith, and had
wrecked my gratitude and desire to praise the almighty God for who He
is....rather than what He could do for me.
As is our
nature, our world revolves around ourselves, our hopes, our dreams, our
problems, and our disappointments. And it is this self-concern that flows daily,
or sometimes hourly, into our prayer life. We have "all about me" prayers,
moaning our pains, problems, disappointments, and needs to Him to the point that I'm just amazed that He's not
burned out with us! But amazingly, He's far more patient with His needy
children than we are with Him. Frightening when you stop to think about it,
isn't it?
My "Aha!"
moment came one early morning, over four years ago, as I read the opening page
of a new book that had just been released. In Rick Warren's The
Purpose Driven Life, he begins:
It's not about you.
The purpose of your
life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment,
your peace of mind or
even your happiness. It's far greater than your family,
your career, or even
your wildest dreams and ambitions.
If you want to know why you were placed on
this planet, you must begin with God.
You were born by his
purpose and for his purpose.
Hmmm . . . are you
sure it's not all about me?
It took a
while for this concept to really sink in, but once it did-it changed my approach
and recharged my faith. Today, rather than repeatedly asking, "Why haven't you? Why can't you? When will
you?" I humbly place my desire at His feet, thanking Him in advance for His
favor. Laying this quiet, tender request before Him with a heart of gratitude
is a marked contrast to running out of faith because He hasn't granted my every
wish, according to my Day-Timer.
If your
spirit is drained and if you're one breath away from spiritual burnout,
consider a change in your prayer life from "I need you to . . ." to "I praise
you for . . ." Your circumstances may not change immediately, but your heart
will.
Changing my
focus,
Ellen
Posted by Ellen on February 26, 2008 10:29 AM
| Category: One Breath Away From Burnout
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