Saran Wrapped!!

"The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain.  Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast; to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.'"  Deuteronomy 1:6-7

Have you ever felt weighed down?  Once I wrote a paragraph about sometimes feeling like left overs and my grandchildren were saran wrap.  It didn't matter how tired I was, they would wrap their little arms around my legs and still expect me to be able to move.  That was when I was watching 4 of them every day: a 5 year old, two 3 year olds, and a newborn.  Don't get me wrong.  They were and still are amazing and I wouldn't give away those times with them for anything or any amount of money this world could offer; but I was exhausted at the end of each day. 
Working within the church community can sometimes make you feel the same way.  When it becomes noticed that you have a heart for service, it is assumed you will be willing to serve any and every where you are asked.  The problem is, the things you are asked to do are only sometimes the things God wants you doing.  It is so easy to ask the same people to do what needs to be done when you know they are willing, that it becomes habit.  This makes the servant feel like they are wrapped in saran wrap and each activity placed on them makes the wrap thicker and it becomes harder to breathe.  There is a solution: pray before giving an answer and listen for God's response. 
Recently I was asked to take on another responsibility; a huge one that  made me feel blessed that I was being trusted to do such a thing, but I was pretty sure what God's answer would be.  I went in prayer for two days and knew I should say no and this was verified by my husband's response when I told him.  A simple nod and, 'Good,."  was all he said.  Later I was asked to take a different job.  I told them that if I had to respond right then, my answer would be no, so I needed to pray about it.  I did so and asked God to give me an idea if He wanted me to take this on and immediately I knew what needed doing.  So this time I said yes and my husband agreed once again.
It isn't difficult to know when to stay encamped where you are and when to move forward.  All we need do is ask the One Who has designed us for each individual task and He will tell us what to do.
Father, there is a time to move forward and a time to rest where we are and regroup.  Help your people remember that it is vital for us to remain in fellowship with You through prayer in order to know when to do which so that victory remains ours at each and every turn for Your glory and honor.