Enjoy a revamped blog post from our DeliberateU archives.
“When your outflow exceeds your inflow, your upkeep will be your downfall”. I’ve heard these words often from my good friend and fellow Navigator, Irv Augustine.
It’s true!! I see it in me. I see it daily in the lives of the leaders we serve. The pace and volume of output is heavy. The feeling of being stretched beyond capacity is on the verge of overwhelm. If we’re not careful, our output will exceed our input, and we’ll begin to dry up on the inside.
Over the last few weeks, some around us have experienced a significant downturn in activity, and yet many business owners and leaders continue to experience the never-ending squeeze--and some are experiencing it at a much greater intensity than before. Each is grappling with juggling the various roles of...
CFO
CMO
CEO
CIO
COO
Spouse
Parent
Friend
Faithful church & community member
...all within a very new and challenging set of circumstances. Self–care? Well, that’s a nice thought!
How many of us have been tempted to pass the gas station when the tank is sitting on empty? We tell ourselves that we don’t have time to stop. We have too much to do, so we can’t pause. We tell ourselves that we can make it one more kilometer, that all will be OK, that the gauge is not quite accurate...until...
Stranded!!
No one else can care for your soul--your will, mind, body, and connection with the world around you. This is a task given to you and the choice is yours. It is at the heart of God’s invitation to us in Psalm 46:10.
When is the last time you stopped long enough to ask Him what’s truly happening inside of you…..how you are relating to Him and others around you?
Jesus reminds us to care for our souls by coming to Him. It is His living water that refreshes and sustains us. Without regularly coming to that spring of living water, all we’ll have is a clogged, stagnant pool to draw from.
This story, told by the late Dr. Peter Marshall, contains a wise reminder of the need to keep the stream clear and flowing...in other words, to keep our souls connected with the One who made us.
The Keeper Of The Stream
There was an old man who lived in an Alpine forest high above a small Austrian village. This man had been hired by the town council to clear away the rubbish from the pools of water up in the mountains that fed the stream that flowed through their town. With faithful regularity, the keeper of the stream moved along the hill slopes and ravines removing leaves, branches, and accumulated silt that could contaminate the fresh flow of water. Truly, because the town possessed such a beautiful clear stream, it became a popular attraction for tourists from all over the world.
Years passed and one evening the town council met for its annual meeting. As the council members looked over the budget, one council member began to question the salary being paid to this obscure keeper of the stream. He questioned why they kept the old man year after year. Because of this council member’s persistence and a general mood for austerity, the council members voted to cut the old man’s services from the budget and tell him he was no longer needed.
Now for several weeks, nothing happened, and the members of the town council congratulated themselves on their savings for taxpayers. By early fall though, the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, impeding the flow of water. Rollicking rapids with sprays of whitewater became stagnant pools. One afternoon someone noticed a slightly yellowish tint in the town water. Within a few weeks, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor was detected. Tourists to the little town soon left and many of the residents became sick. The town council was forced to call a special meeting. Realizing their error, they quickly amended the budget and rehired the keeper of the stream. Within a few weeks, the stream cleared and the little town returned to normal.
Keeping your stream clear and your soul connected is your job. No one can do this work for you. Are you connecting with the One who made you? Are you asking Him to inform your thinking about the condition of the “stream” of your soul?
How is your soul?
A Deliberate Application:
When was the last time you stopped to reflect on the condition of your soul?
What may be keeping you from stopping?
Are you willing to do it?
Who will you share this with?
