In our world of brokenness and chaos, there seems to be an abundance of people needing to experience love and grace. Each person needs to be recognized as a person not a project and therefore deserving of an investment of time. Time and energy. In Isaiah 58 we read,

“…if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.”

It is a glorious calling to pour yourself out on behalf of others – it can also become all consuming and leave you wondering if you are spread too thin. The question is, “How do you prioritize how you spend your time and energy?” I.e. how and to whom will you pour yourself out? Admittedly, this is an area that I seem to fail in and the recipients of this most often tends to be family. There is definitely a balance that is needed and even healthy boundaries in place for every person you encounter but the art-form takes years and massive spiritual maturity and dependency upon God to guide. When I look at Jesus I see that he did NOT invest in EVERY person. He took time for himself to recharge and time for his closest friends. His discernment came through being connected to the Father in lengthy times of prayer. I believe that is where I am lacking. Though I pray often, it isn’t a predetermined place, time and amount of time. This bears more reflection as I truly believe that should I follow Christ more closely in this relationship with God the Father, I will be more effective as his ambassador and when I pour myself out it will be better balanced. Amen.