Stretched But Not Broken

When my boys were little, one of them had a toy called Stretch Armstrong. And yes, Stretch stretched, across the room, down the hallway, from the top bunk to the bottom—until my son broke him. We put a colorful bandage on Stretch’s leg, and stretched Stretch less after that.

We all eventually find our breaking point when we’re overextended. Lately I’ve wondered when I’ll find mine. Just when I think I can’t take on one more thing, that one more thing comes along. Each blow goes straight to the gut, leaving me dizzied and winded and questioning.

Does my husband appreciate me enough? Does my family know what they have in me? God, do You not see all the things I do for You? All these questions run through my mind. And then I remember this:

So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”—Luke 17: 10

It’s a necessary reminder that I’m just doing my job. Being a helpmate to my husband? Part of the job description. Honoring a parent? Check. Being a diligent employee? Expected. Serving God at church and outside ministries? Protocol. Ministering to someone God puts on my path when I already have enough to do? Uh-huh. Doing everything with a Christ-honoring attitude even in the face of bad news and an uncertain future? You know the answer.

As I was buckling under the weight of the many pressures I’m enduring, God spoke to me in my quiet time this morning.

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.”—Isaiah 40:29-31

“We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”—2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Just as no service is too great for my God, neither is any struggle too great. He is worthy, and He is sufficient. I may be stretched, but I am not broken.