Written by: Autumn DiScala, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Something I often find myself sharing with my clients, with moms balancing every task, busy female entrepreneurs who also want to care for their loved ones, is this:
“We can’t live full lives on an empty stomach.”
There exists a toxic reality that as women we think we can do it all – we can serve our families, our workplaces, our friends, our hobbies and passions, without ever taking the time for ourselves, whether that be to rest or recover, to be spiritually fed, or to care for ourselves as someone who is also worthy of our attention.
Another way to look at living fully, is to understand that we cannot overflow in abundance into what we want to pour our passion into, whether that be our families and relationships, our careers and businesses, our passions and creativity, without first being full ourselves.
If we are constantly working from a place of exhaustion and deprivation, we are not only functioning in survival mode, we are reducing the quality we can put out, or even worse, we are actually hurting the ones we love by not being fully present, showing up fully, or giving our best. We are cutting our businesses short, our passions are lackluster, and our roles as valuable family members are diminished.
We are actually causing more harm by functioning from a place of deprivation
This can seem counterintuitive, I hear this especially when working with moms, but if you are not taking the time to care for yourself, to be full, you are actually hurting what you think depriving yourself will help.
And this is not only a painful way to live, it’s unbiblical.
Granted, you can see time and time again disciples and followers of God in deprivation-type circumstances, like we see in Acts 8:1, but I challenge you to ask, were they spiritually full? Were their needs met?
There is a difference between surviving in a constant deprivation state and functioning from a place of spiritual overflow in the midst of depriving circumstances
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NIV)
We can see time and time again in Scripture that while followers of Jesus encountered hardship they relied fully on God to provide their needs, working in and through their lives in mighty ways.
God sees us; He knows our pain and our circumstances. Better yet, He walks with us and alongside us THROUGH those circumstances.
The challenge He poses to us is to trust Him to provide for us, no matter how our circumstances may look. He asks us to rest in Him and let Him take care of it all (sounds like choosing to function from overflow, does it not?).
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34 NIV)
The Lord provides for His children; we can find everything in Him if we choose to make Him our daily bread.
Through choosing to trust Him to provide all our needs, we recognize that we do not have to strive so hard to make it all work on our own. We get to set it all at His feet and watch Him work a miracle.
Further, we find our spiritual fulfillment in Him – He fills our cup so that we can even have the energy, love, passion to overflow into our lives and interests.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:5-6 NIV)
Will there be difficult circumstances that try to rob you of your peace? That try to rob you of the time you need to care for yourself? Of course. But, can you choose to be full of God even in the midst of that? Can you choose to let Him guide you through your circumstances and fill your very being with Him so that you can still find joy in the day?
If you are reading this and you feel an ache inside of you that realizes you are burnt out, that you keep pouring more and more of yourself without ever being filled, pause. I encourage you to pause, create time for an extended pause (a huge challenge), and recenter. Recenter on the Lord – invite Him into your current situation and exhaustion. Invite Him in to help you re-examine where to go from here. Let Him fill your cup so that you can serve Him more fully in all you do; so that you can overflow.
This works even better and smoother when you do not do it alone!
It would be my honor to walk alongside you as you learn to work from a place of overflow instead of deprivation.
I have felt your pain, and I want you to know you can overcome it!
My mission is to guide Christian women through the moments they feel stuck or deprived, by helping them recognize their purposes, and who they were created to be, in all they do – whether that be in their families and relationships, careers, self-images, passions, or spirituality, often in the midst of uncertainty, transition, and taking big risks.
It would be my joy to guide you holistically on your journey as you overcome challenges, transitions, and places where you feel stuck!
You can set up a complimentary initial “Roadblock Discovery Session” with me by emailing me here.
Autumn DiScala, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Autumn DiScala, mdiv. is a leader in the field of life coaching, ministry, and theology. Her mission as a life coach is to guide Christian women in discovering their life purpose in all they do, helping them reorient their lives on God first and foremost. This passion comes from her own life experience, as she has navigated transitions and taking risks, as well as overcoming roadblocks that have so often left her feeling stuck and confused. Throughout it all, she has found that God has stayed consistent, patient, and kind, as He has guided her through all of her life experiences. She would love to help you see that same consistency in your own life, too.
