Issue 081
“You must be joking – I can’t do all that!” “Nno way can I get
through all that by the deadline!”
As you return to work after a holiday you may be faced
with an in-tray, a warehouse, an operating list, a marking
schedule (or whatever you have to do) which is so full
that you know you can’t deal with it. You may find yourself
afraid that a) you won’t do the work, or that b) you’ll
crack up trying.
Too much work is a major cause of stress and a
stimulus to fear. It is said of non-English cricket teams
that they practise beforehand, which ruins the game. To
the noble Englishman any attempt to get an edge is
tantamount to cheating!.
For many, a Christian praying for supernatural help to get
through an unrealistic workload is seen almost in the
same way; not necessarily cheating, but certainly not
playing by the rules.
Of course it may be that God has placed you in this
position precisely to prove to you that he alone can get
you out of it. Far from an unjust workload God is calling
you to call upon his resources.
He wouldn’t do that, surely, would he? If you listen hard
enough you can still hear him saying to dumb-struck
disciples facing a crowd of five thousand men (not to
mention women and children), “you give them something
to eat”. (Mark 6:30-43) I hope I’m right, because when I
look at my own workload I feel like saying to God, “You
must be joking!”. So I’m going to take my five loaves of
energy and two fish of ability to him and see what he
can come up with.
1 John 4:16-18
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
In preparation for the next GEOFFSHATTOCKweekly, do feel free to email us your thoughts to wtw@worktalk.gs or leave a comment on our Facebook or Twitter profile. You can also visit our YouTube channel - get inspired and share Worktalk's vision with others.
Work well
Geoff Shattock
© Copyright 2024 Geoff Shattock
All GEOFFSHATTOCKweekly archives are for personal use only. For permission to use for any other purposes please email using the address below thank you.
WORKTALK LEARNING
1 Washington Villas, Hythe Road, Marchwood, Southampton, Hampshire, SO40 4WT United Kingdom
T:+44 (0)23 8086 8543
http://www.geoffshattock.com
comms@worktalk.gs