How to avoid being overwhelmed by the needs of others
Are you a burden bearer, or do the burdens of others threaten to bury you alive? When you have a ministry of encouragement, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the burdens of others. Instead of helping a friend or family member, you end up needing encouragement yourself!
Remember the simple truth of these four little words: “Our part, God’s part.” Our part is to plant seeds, but as 1 Corinthians 3:7-9 says, we can’t make them grow; only God can do that. He will take the seeds we plant – whether offering a shoulder, sending a note, or sharing wise counsel – and cause them to grow and bear fruit in others’ lives.
Perhaps you feel as if you’ve sown enough seeds for a large farm – yet you haven’t seen any results. Don’t let the devil tell you that you haven’t made a difference. The Word of God says otherwise:
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV).
Just keep planting seeds, and let the Holy Spirit water them.