Haggai 1:5-6 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
One of the most frustrating seasons in my life has been when I felt as if I was doing much, but yet accomplished nothing. It is a terrible place to be investing effort and resources only to come up empty on the returns. At least that’s what I thought.
I have worked plenty of long hours in the past and in the end it was still not enough. Ultimately, I ended up loosing more than what I expected to gain. Overworking with no end week after week only stretched me thin and the merits left more to be desired.
It was not all lost as it turns out. Later, I understood that during that time I learned more about life than ever before. Learning from failures and providing myself room to fail was the only way grow.
Is it possible to pour yourself into something and yet still come up empty? Facing the truth, it is an awakening reality.
There are moments in life where we travail for success and nothing happens. It seems as if we check all the boxes, do everything in our own power and we still come up short somehow.
Here are some questions that you can ask yourself in order to have peace and tranquility during times of uncertainty.
Are my priorities in line?
We can get so consumed by our own desires that we tend to forget what the priorities really are. Take a step back, view the full picture and pivot your approach to focus solely on what is most important for that moment.
Ask yourself, what will make the biggest difference right now? What is the most strategic approach? This will help you realign and regain momentum in the areas of life that matter most to you and for the season you are in.
What are my motives?
It was an honest humbling moment within myself the day I came to realize that my motives needed to be examined and rectified. It was not so much about what I was doing; it was more about my why and the state of mind I was in during that period.
Impure motives will bring temporary results. Doing things for selfish ambition can simply come from our hearts out of alignment with what or why we are doing them. Incorrect motives can lead us to a place of ineffectiveness and success that is short lived.
If we are not targeting to solve a problem or meet a need, then we very well could be taking a route of disappointment and transient achievement.
To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. 2All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:1-3
What am I most interested in?
Material things are temporary and live but for a moment. That is why the fulfillment they bring is also transitory. If you are feeling empty, it is possible you have been pouring yourself out into substandard affairs.
A desire to have attention, peoples approval, affirmation, acceptance, appreciation, wanting to be noticed, or to be rich and famous are all things that will always leave us feeling insubstantial.
We are tempted daily to fill ourselves with things that cannot sustain the test of time and we wonder why it is that we are unfulfilled. Maybe we have not noticed that there is a hole in our bag.
Our hearts can be deceitful and if we allow our hearts to be filled with corrupt emotions and empty ambitions it will not matter how much we strive in life, it will never be enough.
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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