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by our belief that we will never be enough.


A different question DESIGNPICS


your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:12-15).


Nowhere in Scripture do we find texts that insist God wants us to be exhausted, overwhelmed or discour- aged. Instead, there are countless verses about having an abundant life—well rested, well nourished and joyful: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24) and “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carry- ing heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Why do we then enslave ourselves


22 The Lutheran • www.thelutheran.org


to a cacophony of endlessly mul- tiplying duties? Surely our hearts’ deepest motives are good. We want to help others and make a difference in the world. We dream of leaving the world a more whole, compassionate, just and loving place than when we found it.


But we can only do so much. Just


as a child can only collect so many Easter eggs in his or her tiny hands before one drops and breaks, so can we, as adults, honestly and honor- ably love only a small number of people deeply and in the short span of a human life. We can only give our fullest attention to a few endeavors and expect them to receive our best efforts.


If we try to care for more people than we are truly able or promise more than we can deliver, we’ll eventually collapse. We will break. And we will risk falling into a most horrific spiritual prison, convicted


Jesus prohibits us from even imag- ining we are worthless. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Mat- thew 5:14). He comes to bring us life, life abundantly. Finding ourselves trapped in a downward spiral of judg- ment and self-doubt serves no one, certainly not the God who did every- thing possible to set us free. As beloved children of the Creator who wants us to live in joy, we are forced to refocus the essential under- pinnings of our life and work. Rather than be plagued by “Have I done enough?” the question we must begin with—if we accept this most beauti- ful, luminous gift of freedom—is “What is most precious to you?” Is it your work? Your position in the world? Your financial security? Perhaps. But as a hospice chaplain, rarely have I heard the dying say they wish they had spent more time on these things.


Instead, they wonder: Have I loved well? Did I care as deeply as I was able for my children and did they know how fiercely I loved them? Did I tell my friends who lifted me up when I was falling into despair how grateful I am? They shared so much of their precious time, care and love—how crucial they were in help- ing me through the heart-wrenching, terrifying times in my life ... likely until the end.


Many wonder if they are leaving the world, in some small way, a bet- ter place because of how they lived. They ask: Have I left anything behind that is beautiful, good or useful for others? Have I been kind? And some wonder whether they took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy their life, to drink deep from the gifts and blessings that were showered upon them. Or were they


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