Sis… Stop Missing Your Life

Have you ever been so busy doing life that you forgot to live it?

In this episode of Step Out, Sis, Sharon reflects on Martha’s story and how distraction, overwhelm, burnout, and the pressures of a busy life can cause us to miss the moments right in front of us. If you’ve been feeling stressed, exhausted, or stuck in autopilot, this faith-filled conversation will encourage you to slow down, rest, and reconnect with what matters most.

Transcript

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Welcome to Step Out Sis, the podcast where we grow, heal, and walk confidently in God's calling. I am your host, Sharon. And sis, this summer series is really about learning how to breathe again. Learning how to slow down, learning how to stop living in survival mode, learning how to enjoy God and enjoy the life He gave us. Because somewhere along the way, many of us became really good at functioning while being completely exhausted. And sis, we're revisiting Martha again this week because the more I sat with this scripture, the more I realized Martha's struggle wasn't really about serving. It was about being distracted, being overwhelmed, pressure, and trying to carry too much at one time. And honestly, a lot of us are living there right now. Have you ever been so busy handling life that you forgot to actually live it? You're checking things off the list, meeting deadlines, showing up for everybody, taking care of responsibilities, doing what needs to be done, but somewhere in the middle of all the doing, you stopped enjoying the moment. You stopped resting, you stopped being present, you stopped noticing your own life. And I think a lot of women are living there right now because we do a lot. We wear a lot of hats, we care for people, we solve problems, we carry responsibilities, and sometimes we operate so far beyond our capacity that exhaustion starts to feel normal. We keep pushing, keep producing, keep handling what needs to be handled, and after a while we don't even realize how tired we become. Because busy becomes normal, being overwhelmed becomes normal, running on empty becomes normal. But sis, normal doesn't always mean healthy. Sometimes we're doing all the right things while losing ourselves in the process. And that's what I noticed when I read the story of Martha. Jesus never said serving was wrong. Martha was being responsible, she was helping, she was doing what needed to be done, but Jesus addressed what was happening inside of her while she was serving. Jesus said, Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Her problem wasn't service, it was being distracted, being overwhelmed, and it was caring too much at one time. And honestly, a lot of us are caring too much right now, too. You know, I remember years ago when my daughter was about eight years old. I had so much on my mind at the time. Responsibilities, schedules, deadlines, things I needed to do. And one morning I was taking her to school. I pulled into the parking lot like I always did, went through our normal morning routine. I was dropping her off for before school care. I told her what I always said. Have a day full of learning and fun. I watched her walk into the building and I drove away. A few moments later, my phone rings. It was the school calling to tell me school was closed for the day. Praise God, there was staff at the school. I immediately turned around, headed back to the school, and as I approached the building, I saw the large sign sitting out front, school closed today. And I said, Sharon, you need to slow down. I had completely gone into autopilot. But more than anything, I realized how mentally overloaded I had become. God wasn't calling me to do more. To stop rushing through the gift of life he had given me, to stop simply surviving my days, to stop postponing joy, to stop waiting for some future season before I fully lived. Because life is happening now. The people we love are here now. The moments we'll one day miss are happening now. And maybe that's what Jesus was trying to show Martha. The meal could wait, the task list could wait, the dishes could wait, but the opportunity to sit with Him in that moment would not. And maybe that's the invitation for us this summer. To slow down, to breathe, to be present, to enjoy God, to enjoy our families, to enjoy our lives, to stop measuring our worth by productivity and start measuring our lives by presence. Because you can accomplish a lot and still miss your life. You can check every box and still be exhausted. You can stay busy and still feel disconnected from yourself, from others, and from God. But Jesus offers us something better. He offers peace. He offers rest. He offers presence. And maybe the goal this summer isn't to do more. Maybe the goal is to stop missing your life while you're busy managing it. So this week, sis, I want you to ask yourself, what am I so busy doing that I am no longer enjoying my life? And what would it look like to slow down long enough to notice the blessings God has already placed around me? Because maybe, just maybe, God is inviting you to truly live again. And before we go, if Step Out Sis has been encouraging you, helping you, or reminding you to slow down and live with intention, make sure you follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. And join the inner circle at stepoutsis.com. Until next week, take a deep breath, slow down, be present, and with that, I will see you next week right here on Step Out Sis.