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I saw something in Scripture that just made my day. Why? Because it said to me it’s okay to say, “That’s not my job.” If you constantly struggle with priorities and feel as though you are being pulled apart by demands and responsibilities, this could be great news for you, too.
One of the things I taught in my business seminars is you should never say, “It’s not my job.” But would you believe Jesus said that once? It’s in Luke 12:13 and 14. In this passage, a man asked Jesus to be a judge, and Jesus said, Who appointed me an arbiter between you and your brother? In essence, he said, “That’s not my job.”
I can imagine this man figured Jesus was the right person to settle this argument between him and his brother. As they say, “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” But Jesus told him he was not called, nor did he intend to become an earthly judge in human affairs. I’m sure he was not unkind about it, but he certainly was direct.
In Mark 1:35-38 we see another example of a time when Jesus disappointed people. The whole town had gathered to hear him and be healed, and his disciples were most anxious for him to come and please this crowd. But Jesus decided he needed to go elsewhere, undoubtedly disappointing the crowd. You see, Jesus spent much time in prayer with his Father, and he knew his priorities very well.
Jesus did not avoid these people because he was tired or because he did not care. No, he often gave of himself tirelessly, going without food and rest in order to minister to the many who came to him for help. He was frequently exhausted, but he was never feverish, never frazzled, never burned-out.
Why? Because he knew what he was called to do, he knew what God’s priorities were for him, and that’s what he did, leaving other things undone. Sometimes people thought he should do other things, but he knew what was important and what wasn’t.
Burnout doesn’t come from doing God’s will; burnout is a result of not appropriately separating the urgent from the important, and this is one lesson I have to learn and re-learn.
The irony of self-righteousness is it not only blinds us to our sin, but it also prevents us from loving others as Jesus commands. When you and I remember that we fall short of God’s perfect standard, we will be less inclined to point the finger when people around us do too.
How might you be acting in hyper-critical, superior, or fault-finding ways toward others? Rather than being self-righteous, let’s remember we all fall short and live in light of the righteousness that is ours because of our faith in Christ. When we live this way, we display unity and draw others to Jesus.