Did you ever have the feeling you were involved in too many things? Most likely you are involved in too many things.

Did you ever feel like you had a heavy burden? If so, you are heavy burdened.

Did you ever notice that being driven, being involved in too many things and heavily burdened, robs you of peace, joy and other good things.

As I was talking with a friend the other day, she told me she had resigned a position she had held for some time and that she still had plenty to do.

I think this is true for many of us. We have been driven become involved and taken on to many burdens and as a result, we have no time left for other important things in life.

We live in a very compulsive society. We can use the word compulsive or driven, but they both mean about the same thing.

One of the complaints we hear from many Christian people is, "We don't feel or sense the Holy Spirit doing anything in our church."

Why don't we feel and see the Holy Spirit doing more in our churches? In many cases there is no time for the Holy Spirit to do anything. We have driven Him out and we are involved in so many things and burdened down with so much, we simply don't have time for him to do anything because we are to busy doing.

A few years ago there were some changes made in the Catholic Church and the Holy Spirit touched many people. There was excitement in the church and people felt the move of the Holy Spirit. More attention was given to the Holy Spirit and as a result it seemed the Holy Spirit gave more attention to the church. We should have learned something from that, but have we!

Is it time to take a good look at church life, make a few changes and give the Holy Spirit a chance to do something. What about our work life should we do the same thing there? What about our home life can some changes be made there? And of course there are our social and membership things. Could we make some changes there?

I remember when I was a Cub Scout leader and a Boy Scout leader. I resigned from that a long time ago. There is still a need of Scout leaders, but now it is for someone else to do.

There was a time when Pauline and I taught CCD at church, but we don't do that anymore. There is still a need for it. It is someone else's job now.

May the Lord give us the wisdom to know when to take up a burden and when to lay it down!

There are so many things that can drive us and burden us. Every one of these things robs us of peace and joy.

Guilt is one that troubles many of us. It can be someone else' guilt that we bear. Like our children for example. It can be lack of forgiveness when God has already forgiven.

There are so many things that it can be. To many things I feel I must do, people I must please, position's I must fill, things that other people should be doing that I must do for them and I could go on and on.

Every one of us should take a discerning look at any area that we feel driven or burdened that is robing us of peace and joy and ask the Lord if that is from Him. If He tells you it is not drop it, resign, and say no! Tell people I can't do this anymore!

Make a decision that anything that robs you of Gods peace and joy - that drives me and causes an excessive burden, I will refuse.

So many times we start things that bless us and others, then we don't know enough to stop when we should. We do this in our church, at our work, and in our homes. Lord! Give us the sense to stop things at the right time so they do not become monsters that drive us, burden us and rob us of Gods blessing. Amen!