When you think you can't do this...

So often I find myself running into the familiar mental wall of, "I can't do this."

I wake up, again, to the crying baby and think, "I can't do this."

I unload the dryer and add yet another heaping pile of laundry to the mountain on my bed. "I can't do this."

The chattering crescendo of yet another sibling squabble fills my home as I start pulling out vegetables to chop for dinner. "I can't do this."

I travel the well-formed neural pathway of "I can't do this" each time something feels too hard. Or (let's be honest) each time something feels boring or burdensome since most of what I do may not necessarily be categorized as "fun." Each day requires clothing to be cleaned again, dishes to be washed, floors to be swept, diapers to be changed. Add all of it up and that equals a whole lot of, "I can't do this" on replay.

In my experience, the Lord likes to teach me through a swift kick in the pants. I was reading Exodus 4 recently, a familiar passage, with Moses telling the Lord that he cannot be the one to speak to the Egyptians as he is not "eloquent in speech."

"I can't do this." This is what Moses says to God. Somehow God has picked the wrong guy for the job.

It seems, in today's world, most of us feel this way and find ourselves posting a weepy SOS on social media, "here is why today is hard. I can't do this." In flood the responses:

"You just need more self-care!"

"Order pizza for dinner!"

"Can I bring you a coffee?"

"Turn on a movie for the kids and take a nap!"

Now, I am not saying these things are inherently bad, but they do nothing for the root problem which is that oftentimes we just have crabby, complaining hearts and are feeling sorry for ourselves. This is a serious case of Proverbs 27:6, "profuse are the kisses of an enemy and faithful are the wounds of a friend." 

Those self-care advocates pushing for you to rest and ignore the evil sin monster devouring your heart are NOT your friends. They may sound well and good, and perhaps their intentions are pure, but anything that isn't the gospel isn't the gospel.

By the way... how did God respond to Moses?

"Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." (verse 11)

Essentially, the Lord gave you this day. He gave you these little people and their capacity to create ridiculous amounts of laundry. He gave you whatever job you have with the annoying coworker. He gave you your rambly husband and your neighbor with the yappy dog. He made all of these things and he will be with you as you navigate all of it. No amount of self-care changes that truth.


Lest you hear me saying I don't think anyone needs rest, let me remind you of this...

"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." Matthew 11:29

Hear that? We are actually promised rest when we take his yoke and learn from him. From Jesus! When we learn from Jesus, we are promised soul rest. When we watch how Jesus responds to difficult people and difficult circumstances and pray about how that looks in our lives, believing that, just as God told Moses, he is with us... then we actually experience rest.

So, maybe I'm the only one who needed this particular pants-kicking, but if you find yourself in a similar condition, might I suggest trusting the Lord to equip you to face that which he has given you to handle? Remember, "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

He says it. He is truth. Believe it and be faithful to whatever he has called you to do today.