Resources/Articles
Overcommitted
One of the most dangerous habits of the average American today is the habit of overcommitment - the tendency to commit to too many activities and concerns. It has affected the Lord’s people like it has affected everyone in society. It is one of the ways the devil is hurting us most.
It is the same predicament Martha found herself about whom the Lord said: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41,42).
Unlike some of our other problems, the difficulty in dealing with this one is not that we do not recognize we have it. Most of us are fully aware that we are too busy. Overcommitment is one of the main things responsible for the lessening of our spiritual enthusiasm and effectiveness.
We try to ease our mind by minimizing the seriousness of our problem with the excuse that our overcommitment is “only temporary”. The situation is often not temporary, and when the “rush” is over, we usually have missed one or more critical windows of opportunity in our relationships that can never be retrieved.
Rather than mastering our activities, they are mastering us. We are stressed, hindered, frustrated, anxious, and quickly angered. Since we are hurting ourselves, what do we do?
The answer is in our self. As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” We need to arrest our self and test it. As 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove you own selves.” We need to come to terms with some sober, spiritual teaching. Remove yourself from your busyness and heed these instructions: 1 Thessalonians 4:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:12; James 4:8; Philippians 3:13,14. Get a grip on what you are doing with your life.
