You can only do so much before you do too much
Accepting the Advice of Jethro
This week contains some of the most stressful and busy days that I’ve had in a long time. Perhaps you feel the same way. Or maybe this week has been easy so far, but each of us have had our share of busyness and being overwhelmed. The central part of this devotional is this statement: “You can only do so much before you do too much.” I am by no means supporting laziness; rather, I am encouraging you to understand that Goldilocks played this game too. Too little is not enough, too much is more than enough, and just right is—well, just right.
How can we prevent ourselves from doing too much? Is it possible to spend less time on something that’s done and spend those extra minutes on something else? Absolutely. Below is only one of many Biblical strategies to overcoming this situation:
“You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself” (Exodus 18:19 NLT). Beginning in the morning and lasting until evening, Moses sat and listened to one dispute after another. At the time, the Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land. It was Moses’ father-in-law named Jethro that told Moses the quote at the beginning of this paragraph. It didn’t take him long to realize Moses was doing too much. In fact, his first question to Moses was this: “What are you really accomplishing here?” (V. 14). You see, Moses needed help from someone who was less burdened and had less to do. Following Jethro’s advice, Moses appointed leaders to settle disputes among different groups of people. This lowered the stress of Moses and equaled it out. That way, the work was being done without one man doing too much and wearing himself out.
