Courtney Gilmore Have you ever just been going through the motions, doing everything that has to be done, without any real plan or organization? Do you feel overwhelmed and always behind? If you have ever had kids, you can probably relate. Sometimes we just get up in the morning, start the day, and tackle one situation after another. Mid-afternoon we realize we haven’t eaten anything and despite the fact that we have been on the go all day, it it doesn’t really look like anything has been done. We might finally grab a bite to eat only to be interrupted with another situation needing our attention and on and on. Later we fall into bed only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again. If this is you, you need a father-in-law like Moses.
Moses’s day began with someone approaching asking that he judge between him and another person. He naturally advised them & taught them the laws and ways of God. When he finished with that person, another approached, and then another, and another, until it was time to go to bed and do it all again. Most likely this was not Moses’s plan. He probably never thought about it at all. He just began meeting the needs of the people as they arose until it became his full-time job.
Jethro stayed over with Moses for one day and could see that this was not a sustainable way to rule the nation. It was too much for one man to sit as judge over all the people from morning to night. Moses needed to DELEGATE! As their leader, his first priority needed to be teaching the people God’s laws & ways so that they could follow Him. If he spent all his time judging individual situations, he wouldn’t be free to lead the people collectively. Jethro advised him of a better way & Moses listened.
Good leaders & managers seek wise counsel. It is good that Moses was willing to relinquish some control or he would have burned himself out. Sometimes when we take on too much, we end up not doing any of our jobs well because we are spread too thin to give them the time & attention they deserve. That is why we feel like we have worked all day and have really nothing to show for it.
How good are you at delegating? Is it hard to let go of doing everything yourself because you want it done a certain way? That is hard until we realize that we our way isn’t working very well because we aren’t giving anything the focus that it needs. What if by giving some of the lesser duties away, you could be more efficient & effective at the more important ones?
Initially it take a little bit of time that you may not feel like you have, but it is important to order our priorities. What do you feel like God has called you to do specifically & what can others help you with? Moses was still ultimately responsible for judging the people, but his greatest responsibility was that of teacher & leader to all the people. So, he delegated what he could to people that he trusted to do a good job & then focused on what he needed to do himself. If they had questions they could always come to him. But since he had explained their responsibilities to them & they were men that he trusted to carry them out, he was free from the constant busyness that only tied him down.
So if you are overwhelmed with your daily tasks, feeling like you have no real direction or plan, take some advice from Jethro. “What you are doing is not good. You will certainly wear yourself out. This thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.” Then make a PLAN & DELEGATE!
Excerpt from Episode 61, “Leading & Judging” Exodus 18 on Podcast & YouTube
