Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, October 9, 2020
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Moses was a classic people-pleaser. He was going to single-handedly deal with all the problems of all the Israelites now wandering through the wilderness. And boy, did they have problems. But God had called Moses to this work after all. Wasn’t God expecting him to take care of everything? Wasn’t that his job?
It took Moses’ father-in-law, the wise Jethro, to set the over-eager Moses straight. “Knock it off! You’re no good to anyone if you’re exhausted!” How many of us in our various walks of life—particularly those of us in ministry—feel this same pressure to put others’ needs before our own well-being?
No matter what our call, no matter how urgent the cause, the fact remains that we are unable to be effective if we are worn out, and we wind up harming not just ourselves, but those we are trying to assist. Take a lesson from Jethro: “You cannot do it alone.” Be sure to lean into the people around you, do what is yours to do, and allow others to do their part. It’s ancient wisdom that is as potent today as it was millennia ago.
How am I doing appropriate self-care today?
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