We’ve each been given a strength to get things done – to run with the ball and make things happen. And while this is a responsibility we courageously accept, it often comes with many crushing expectations as well. And just beneath the surface of our face of bravery is a mounting pressure primed to take us out.
Of course, we all want to play our part and there’s no point in complaining about the tasks that are ours to do. We each have a burden to bear and must bear it faithfully.
But many times, we expect too much of ourselves and allow others to place these unrealistic expectations on us as well.
While our strength is to be used in service of others, we are not robots and must learn to care for the needs of our soul as well.
This might mean building more margin into our life and not spreading ourselves too thin – learning to rely on our village and not living as if we must carry the weight of the world on our shoulders alone.
At the same time, there are some burdens we cannot defer to others; they are ours alone to carry. But even here we don’t have to pretend everything is fine and that we’re unaffected by the load we must carry. While others might not be able to carry the burden itself, they can support us in our efforts if we allow them beneath the surface.
The ever-increasing weight of expectations will eventually crush us if we don’t allow ourselves to be human.
There’s much we have to offer and should not hold back in giving it freely. All the same, we still have limitations that must be respected as well, not to mention the basic need for affirmation as we labor in the offering of our strength.
In the end, faithfully move the mountains God has given you to move. But don’t let the surface pressure of unrealistic expectations take you out. Allow yourself to be human even as you work diligently to do all that is yours to do.
Photo by Siddhant Kumar on Unsplash
