You Can't Do It All

One of the most important lessons I've learned as a Christ-follower, husband, dad, pastor, brother, son, etc is that I can't do everything by myself. I like to think that I can though. You know us guys... There's nothing we "can't do." Well, honestly, there's something this guy can't do, and that's everything. My attempts in the past to do everything have usually left me frustrated because I end up accomplishing very little.

(I'm about to use the word "at" a lot, so please forgive me because it may not be grammatically correct, but you'll get the point) As we go through life, we have to learn what we're good at, okay at, and what we need to let someone else handle. Being a pastor has taught me this lesson very quickly. I learned early on that several of the things I thought I was good at, I honestly wasn't even okay at. At the same time, I had to learn that I can either hold everything back by my unwillingness to empower others or I can help things move forward by involving and trusting the people around me. I still have room to grow in this area, but I don't want to be the reason people in our church are not involved and being used by God. My calling as a pastor isn't to do all the work myself, but to make sure the right people are doing the right things at the right time. I can easily deceive myself and think that my approach is always best, so I must distinguish between what I'm called to do and what I'm failing to delegate because I'm unwilling to trust others or plan ahead.

So... make a quick list of those things you know are your strengths and focus your efforts on those things. If you are heavily involved in things that you are only okay at or maybe not even that good at doing, look around you to see who is waiting to get involved.

Maybe it's your spouse? Perhaps you've been doing something that's driving her/him up a wall because they know it's not your strength but you refuse to let go of it.

It could be your kids? Maybe you are doing something for them that they need to be doing themselves.

If you are a leader in a church or business, you will never maximize the full potential of your organization until you perform with excellence in your area of gifting and empower others to excel in their strengths.

Quit trying to do it all. God places other people in your life for a reason, so share the spotlight!