When Being Busy Makes You Feel Valued

I love feeling needed. It brings a sense of purpose when my son asks for advice or when my husband gushes compliments over the dinner I cooked. 

But what happens when no one asks for my help?

The older my kids get, the less useful I feel. Does that mean I have no value? Absolutely not! Our identity comes from our merciful Savior. God defines who we are through his love. 

How Wanting to Be Needed Affects Our Identity 

God gave each of us unique gifts and talents. He also offers opportunities for us to use those gifts to serve the world around us. When we put our skills into action, we can laser-focus on that purpose. But we need to be careful of only thinking we have value when others need us. 

Let’s face it. Serving others makes us feel all warm inside. Especially when we’re helping our family or friends. It’s easy to mistake those feelings of fulfillment for something else. 

This happens when we let our good works determine our worth.

The Danger of Attaching My Value to My Busyness 

It’s in our nature as Type-A women to want to be helpful. So often we see someone struggling and know with a little effort, we can get the job done. We may even step in when God asked us to wait. (I for one have a hard time resisting the urge to help God!)

As much as we love doing good works, God is much more interested in His work in us. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV) 

The above verse reminds us that even though God created us for good works, our worth is found in who we are through Him. When we remain in that truth, our good works will shine with the goodness of Christ. 

Whatever is causing you to feel less needed today, my go-getter friend, God knows. He wants us to help others, but He also wants us to know our worth is based on who He is, not what we do. So when our kids, families, or friends don’t need our help, we won’t feel like no one values us. 

We can fight off the fear of not being needed by reminding ourselves of our identity as children of God.

With all that’s going on in the world, we may be struggling with knowing how and when to help. Here is a prayer that will help us discern how to help when we don’t know what to do next. Check out the video prayer below.

A portion of this devotion is an excerpt from an article by Kristine Brown, “What Is Scripture’s Answer to the Fear of Missing Out?” originally published on iBelieve.com.

The Fascinating Truth About Being a Busy Woman

The women’s ministry at your church is planning a trip to a women’s conference. It’s going to be epic! Everyone’s excited. Everyone, that is, except you. 

With small kids at home and a husband who travels, an out-of-town trip just isn’t possible right now—not to mention the grandparents can’t help out. They live miles away.

Maybe that event you’re missing isn’t a women’s conference. Perhaps it involves your co-workers, other mom-friends, or an open door you’ve been praying for. 

I’ve been there too, fellow go-getter. 

We like to stay busy. Keep our schedule filled with good things. But the reality is, if we try to do ALL the things, we’ll end up burned out and joyless. That’s why we need to be aware of one fascinating truth about being busy.

Our busy schedules can often make us feel like we’re missing out on important things.

One Thing Busy Women Fear Most

As busy go-getter girls, we cringe at the idea of missing out on an opportunity. That’s especially true for those of us who love to set goals and work to get things done. 

Missed opportunities can leave us feeling like we’ve lost a chance that may never come again. To break free from the battle with this persistent fear, we can guard against it with a little inspiration from God’s Word. 

What to Do When We Feel Like We’ve Missed Out

When we are afraid of missing an opportunity, let’s remember that this is a season. We may not be able to go everywhere or do all the things, but we can embrace contentment by discovering the joy in the specific season God has for us today.

Philippians 4:11-12 says, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Contentment. That’s the answer in Paul’s words. But if we know we should feel content, why do we still battle this fear of missed opportunities?

Because being busy can overshadow the peace God longs to give us.

The Power of Contentment Over the Fear of Missing Out

Contentment holds power. Paul knew this, which is why he encouraged the church with his own experience. He’d been through it all— times of plenty and times of want. Yet he learned the power of choosing to be content. 

Like Paul, we will have times of more and times of less.

Choosing contentment over fearing what we’re missing means discovering joy in our everyday lives. The busy days, the lazy days, and everything in between. 

Are you battling the fear of missed opportunities today? Let’s find our inspiration in Paul’s life lesson. Let’s replace the one thing we fear most with renewed contentment.

A portion of this devotion is an excerpt from an article by Kristine Brown, “What Is Scripture’s Answer to the Fear of Missing Out?” originally published on iBelieve.com.