Purpose Over Workaholism

This is the first week of summer break, and I am fully breathing it in on this cool, rainy morning. I added a few spring plantings this weekend, and having my hands in the dirt brought a refreshing breeze into my soul. Call me crazy, but I’m so ready for hot humid summer days!

I spent a lot of time thinking about my “one life” last week… as you can see in my previous post… and this week, I’m thinking about living with purpose. This week we’ll sidebar into workaholism, and next week, we’ll focus more on passivity… which have both been battles in my own life.

Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.

Isaiah 55:6

We are to seek the Lord while He may be found. That tells me that there will come a time when He may not be found, so how I perceive my “today” is important. We are to ask the Lord to teach us how to number our days (Psalm 90:12), so to me that says every moment has purpose. 

This world is steeped in both extremes of passivity and workaholism, and we, the Church, have opened ourselves up to them. Sometimes we are too casual with our calling, and with our relationship with God… 

• We need to watch more screens
• We need to get more “me” time
• We need to take more vacations!

… and other times, we are just too busy for Him, all the while believing that we are chasing after Him, when we are truly just exhausting ourselves…

• Work more, do more, be BUSIER!
• Quiet times and prayer can wait, I have too much to do!
• I don’t have time to follow God, I’m too busy serving Him.

I’ve been guilty of all of the above! In my journey of trying to find purpose, I was especially guilty of the last three. Mistaking purpose for perfectionism led me straight into workaholism… and I can tell you for sure that workaholism only leads to failure, hopelessness, and spiritual / physical illness. We feel like we are accomplishing so much, but we are actually spiritually and physically exhausting ourselves with no rest in sight.

Workaholism

Workaholism opens the door to sickness for our spirits, minds, and bodies. In the past week alone, I have heard FIVE stories of mental and physical illnesses that were caused by stress from overworking.

Five different people randomly shared with me about:

• auto-immune disorders
• repeated blacking out
• numbness in the hands
• the onset of panic attacks
• constantly feeling frazzled
• inability to sleep
• inability to concentrate
• crying at inappropriate times
• even an inability and loss of desire to do the work they used to love!

All of these people were directly diagnosed with illness stemming from stress on the body due to overworking.

During the time that led to my severe burnout and emotional breakdown several years ago (due to workaholism, approval addiction, and trying to earn my own salvation), I was diagnosed every year with some odd illness that kept me in bed for a week. 

When my long-term stress was at its worst... which greatly weakens the immune system... I contracted a systemic strep infection that caused overwhelming pain throughout my body.  No one knew what it was at first.  A full-body rash made doctors think it was Lyme Disease, but a strep test confirmed my final diagnosis.  I had no fever and no sore throat, but my entire body hurt, and the pain brought me to tears with every move. 

Another time, I was diagnosed with severe vertigo and couldn't get out of bed for 48 hours. 

For the last two years of that season, I suffered with a severe hormonal imbalance called PMDD.  I had all of the symptoms...

But now I have none.

Because I am now able to release all of my anxieties to the Lord, I know how to enter into His peace and His rest… and these days I am rarely sick. This is how I desire to live out the rest of my One Life. I want to prosper and be in health, even as my soul prospers. I want to be productive and bear fruit for the One who set me free. And I never want to put on those old chains of bondage and burdens ever, ever again, in Jesus’ name.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

The truth of the matter is that we do not need to WORK more, or WORK harder. We need to learn how to REST IN THE LORD, SEEK HIM FIRST, and OBEY HIS VOICE.

He will not run us ragged…

• He will teach us to work from a position of rest.
• He will teach us to work in His strength and His energy instead of our own.
• He will teach us to work for Him, forsaking the approval of all others.
• He will show us how to accomplish MORE in LESS time and with LESS human effort (His yoke is easy, His burden is light.)

It’s Okay to Slow Down

When we are working hard for success, perfection, or maybe just to “get it all done,” it can feel irresponsible to slow down and take some things off our plate.  We can struggle to let go of responsibilities because we are afraid that no one else will be able to do it.

They might mess it up, they might not get it done on time, they won’t know where everything is… so maybe we just need to stay in control of those things. It’s easier that way, and we will feel better.  

That’s where we get tripped up, unfortunately.  It’s not really that we’re afraid they won’t be able to do it, but more that they won’t do it like we do it.  They won’t do it right… like we do.  They might change things, and Boy! We do not like that idea!

Somewhere deep inside, we may also be afraid that someone will come in and do it better than we did.  They will shine brighter, get all the credit we feel we deserved (but maybe never received), and we will end up obsolete and discarded. 

That’s one I used to struggle with, as well.

Unfortunately, these thoughts and feelings are signals that we may have issues with needing to be in control of things, mixed with fear of failure, and ultimately, fear of rejection.  This is definitely not uncommon, but the important thing to realize is that needing to be in control has led us down a road to stress and illness, and away from God’s true plan for our lives.

The truth of the matter is that it’s okay to let someone else learn how to do that job.  Not only is it  “okay,” but it may be crucial to your future health and success.  

Yes, they may be a little shaky at first, but so were we.  They may stumble and fall in the process of learning, but so did we.  Everything turned out just fine for us, and it will for them, too.  We just need to let it go.  

God Has Something Better for You

The answer to workaholism is GRACE.  When we know that we can’t earn our own salvation – that it’s a free gift – it changes the way we believe.  We can’t mess it up by our mistakes. He won’t take it away if we make Him mad.

The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation.

Psalm 145:8-9

If we work hard for perfectionism so we can be “justified by the law,” or justified by our hard work, the Bible says that we are actually “severed from Christ” and have “fallen from grace.”  We can only be saved by “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:4-6).

When we finally begin to grasp that He loves us unconditionally, and He’s not going anywhere no matter how bad we mess up… When we finally begin to see that we can reject Him, but He will NEVER reject those who are in Christ… it changes the way we REST.

What if you could WORK without all the stress?  I mean, sure, there will be busy times, pressure, deadlines to meet, etc.  But what if you could do all of that with JOY, while you are still at PEACE on the inside?  That’s what it’s like when you are working in HIS strength, not your own.  

The Bible says that HE will accomplish everything THROUGH you, and all you have to do is STAND STILL.  It’s not physical, it’s spiritual. 

“Let Us Therefore Be Diligent…” Hebrews 4:11

Here is the final message:  Truly, it is a root of unbelief, whether very large or very small, that leads us down the path to passivity and workaholism.  It is unbelief that will keep us from entering into His rest (His heaven), and will cause us to fall away from God (Hebrews 3:12-13, 19).

I have struggled with distrust and unbelief in my relationship with God.  Hard things happen.  Bad things happen to God’s people.  Everything that can be shaken WILL be shaken.  That means that when the hard times come, if there is any distrust or unbelief in your heart, it will shake loose, rise to the surface, and make itself known.  

It has made itself known at key points in my life, and I have had to make the same life choice each time. Do I trust God, or do I not?

In moments like these, we will either run away from God and into our corners of passivity, workaholism, isolation, addictions, and other negative coping behaviors… or we will run to God and ask for His help. 

As I have grown older and experienced various struggles, I have stepped dangerously close to throwing in the towel… in marriage, in ministry, in church attendance, and in life itself.  I have quit many times in my mind and in my heart.  

I have run to those other godless corners for comfort pretty often, but I have only ever found emptiness, hopelessness, and loss.  

But EVERY time I run to God, He is there.  He meets me there.  He unloads my every burden.  He reminds me that I am not a pack animal, I was not made to carry burdens.  And He gives me His rest.  Every time.  

One by one, I have repented, renounced, and broken down the godless corners in my life.  They are not all destroyed yet, but I have definitely turned in my running shoes!

At this the father gave a great shout. “I do believe!” he roared. “Help me in my unbelief!”

Mark 9:24 NTFE

When we rest ourselves in His tender care, trusting that He knows what is best for us and He is always working on our behalf, we open our hearts to His grace… we come into His supernatural peace… and we begin to know who we truly are in Christ Jesus.  We no longer need to run because He is taking care of everything. 

The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me; Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever – Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.

Psalm 138:8

We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us the work You did in their days, In the days of old.

You drove out the [pagan] nations with Your own hand; Then You planted and established them (Israel); [It was by Your power that] You uprooted the [pagan] peoples, Then You spread them abroad.

For our fathers did not possess the land [of Canaan] by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, Because You favored and delighted in them.

Psalm 44:1-3

In this moment, let’s begin to ask the Lord what He would like for us to do with our time. Maybe we need to step out and use our gifts. Maybe we need to take a step back so we can hear from the Lord and be refreshed.

Either way, this is the only life we have. Let’s treat it well. Let’s live it for the Lord, and be at peace. We will reap His benefits, if we do not give up.