S2 Ep. 5: The Cost of Serving — Overcoming Burnout and Bitterness

Are you serving with joy—or running on empty? In this episode of Faithfully Invested, Allen and Stacy Jo Thorne share practical, biblical strategies for avoiding burnout, setting healthy boundaries, and serving from overflow rather than obligation.

Drawing from Mark 10:45, Galatians 6:9, and other key scriptures, they unpack why even Jesus modeled rest, how to exercise your “no” muscle, and why a sustainable servant’s heart begins with intimacy with the Father. You’ll hear real-life stories, honest confessions, and five practical steps to refuel your spirit—without the guilt.

Whether you’re leading at church, in business, or at home, you’ll learn how to:
 ✅ Recognize the warning signs of burnout
 ✅ Build rhythms of rest and Sabbath
 ✅ Delegate without shame
 ✅ Receive help as an act of humility
 ✅ Serve from presence, not performance

If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin while doing “good” things, this conversation will remind you that faithfulness doesn’t mean serving until you drop—it means walking closely with Jesus.

📖 Key Scriptures: Mark 10:45 • John 6:15 • Galatians 6:9 • Luke 10:38-42 • Exodus 18:17-23 • Proverbs 4:23 • Matthew 6:33 • Mark 6:31

Transcript

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Are you ready to build a life, business and legacy that truly lasts? Welcome to Faithfully Invested with Allen and Stacy Jo Thorne, where Faith meets real talk. Biblical wisdom meets everyday life and leadership meets laughter. Together we will uncover God's blueprint for leadership, marriage, and mission, helping faith-driven leaders invest in what matters most. Each episode, we explore biblical wisdom, have real conversations, and of course, have some fun along the way because let's be real. Walking in faith is an adventure. It sure is. So pull up a seat, grab your coffee or your sweet tea, and join us as we steward our callings with intention, because when we invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase. Hey friends. Welcome to Faithfully Invested, the podcast where we explore God's blueprint for leadership, marriage, and mission, one Kingdom Principle at a time. I'm Stacy Jo, and that makes me, Allen. I guess it would. We're glad that you're here today to discuss the cost of serving and avoiding burnout. Yeah. Today's episode is for anyone who's ever said yes with a smile. But felt stretched too thin underneath, and I can tell you all about that. Yeah. So if your coffee's gone cold, your to-do list is holy but exhausting and you're starting to feel like your servant's heart is slipping into bitterness or burnout, pull up a chair. Yeah. Like I said, I have been there. I have often taken on more than I could handle and stepped into things that, I mean, Allen will tell you I've stepped into things that God didn't actually call me to do. Are you breathing All right over there? Deep breaths. Take a deep breath. Sit down and take a deep breath. Yes, yes. Anyway, you know, even though I, you know, we do things for the Lord, sometimes we get depleted and resentful. Honestly, I mean, I can speak for myself. I wasn't very joyful to be around. Yeah, okay. You don't have to take it so far anyway, I've never experienced that. But anyway, uh, yeah. You've experienced it, it all seriousness, I recall back in the day, in the early days. Mm-hmm. You know, I fancied selfie. The volunteer teams. Yes, man. Right. You got it. I'm your man. Right. Uh, but I, uh, it just wasn't a sustainable schedule. It sure looked good, but it ended up not being good. Uh, when, when I became a Mr. Mr. Mean Mc Judgy Pants, Mr. Mean Mc judgy, I, that's was it. I was Mr. I was too much. You know, I was taking on too much and, and it, and it wasn't good. It just wasn't good. And I, and I was Mr. Mean Mc Judgey pants. And um, and that was, uh, you know, when others didn't meet my ridiculous expectations that I put on myself. Because if I'm gonna do all this, why aren't you doing all this right, Mr. Mean McJudgey pants. Anyway, moving on. Well, what we're learning over and over. And over and over. Right. Is that nurturing a servant's heart isn't about doing more, it's about staying connected to the heart of Jesus. Yeah. And in Mark 10:45, uh, tells us that Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Yeah. But even that, Jesus withdrew to be with the Father. And we have talked about that on episodes, uh, prior to this one, John six 15 says that he withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone. And that word again means it was a rhythm, not, not a rare retreat. It wasn't a one time thing that he decided, oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go up and, and spend time with the, with my father. Was With the father. Yeah. Yeah. It was a regular practice. It was a, it was a regular practice, right? Yeah. You know. Uh, Jesus modeled service. Yeah, absolutely. And, and volunteer teams will use part of that verse. Mm-hmm. And they, you know, Jesus, he didn't come to be served but to serve, but they forget. You know, that, you know, he also took time to, to sit with the father, you know, and Jesus wasn't interested in burnout, you know? Right. He knew the plan and he only did what the father, uh, told him to do. He only came to fulfill the father's plan, but, um, so he modeled service really well. He modeled everything Right. Really well. Yeah. You think? Anyway, what a great example. Thank you Jesus. Um. But he also modeled stillness. Mm-hmm. Uh, and that's where, uh, sustainability in a true servant's heart begins, is our, our stillness and our silence and solitude with the father, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit. Yeah. Uh, gaining, uh, gaining that. Mm-hmm. You know, there's so much to gain from that, that stillness, that quiet time together with'em. Um, so every. I recall hearing someone said back in the day that, uh, mankind has got to know their limitations. And this statement, uh, certainly holds true for us as we conduct kingdom service. Yeah. Uh, service is, uh, is good and all, but not at the sacrifice of personal relations. Um, I wanna say that again, service is good and we should serve, but not so much that it cost us. Personal relations, right, that were not serving from a grateful heart. Um, I've made myself so stupid busy that, uh, my tank was running on fumes and, and I was not leading from a joyful heart because I wasn't taking time to rest or meet with the Lord. I was doing all the things, but I wasn't doing the thing. I wasn't, you know. Meeting with him. I wasn't taking that time and silence and solitude and, um, it just wasn't good. I wasn't in a good, it wasn't a good place to be for, for myself or, or anyone around me. Right. Um, and, and I learned a solid lesson there though of, of what not to do. You know, uh, sometimes the most Christian and I, I've, I've, uh, said this before, sometimes the most Christian thing I can do is, is have a sandwich and, and take a nap. But also, um. One of the most Christian things that any of us can do is exercise our no muscle. Oh yeah. Exercise our no muscle. That was something I gained early, uh, from my, my sponsor at the time. Now, my, my, uh, dear brother who I, uh, I miss, I haven't seen him in a while, but, uh, he's so, he's like, man, you gotta learn how to exercise your no muscle. Yes, man. Uh, so if we don't. Uh, if we don't exercise our no muscle, then we, we welcome in. We invite exhaustion, we invite resentment and mm, invite emotional detachment, and nobody wants to serve with that guy. Mm, yeah, yeah, yeah. That hits hard. And, and it's true. You know, Paul gives us encouragement in Galatians 6:9 not to grow weary in doing good. Yeah. But catch this, he says, if. We don't grow weary. Meaning it is very, it's a very real possibility. Well, it's a possibility. He's not dismissing the weight of service. Right. He's actually acknowledging it. He's accentuating the weight of service. Right. You know, and I think Paul knew, I mean, exhausted people don't represent Jesus very well. Right. So, so let's be honest friends, when we are serving out of guilt instead of God's prompting, then our Yes. Becomes a survival skill instead of spirit led obedience. Yeah. Um, we're heading towards burnout. Yeah. And often that burnout will grow into bitterness, and I've seen that happen in my own life. Yeah. So if you're finding yourself snapping at people you used to love serving or, or feeling invisible while doing all the things, uh, it's time to take a pause. Yeah. It's time to step back. Mm-hmm. It's time to take that breath, breathe deep from the belly. That's, uh, because that, that, uh, that frustration and that the potential resentment, that's, that's not where, that's not the heart that Jesus is calling us to serve from. Right. Faithfulness does not mean serve until you drop. Oh, that's good. Yeah, that's good because I know there are some, I'm just gonna say, I'm gonna call it out. There are some churches who expect you to serve until you drop. Yeah. And it just can't be done because then it creates, like we said, bitterness. Right. And resentment. Yeah. We have to steward our teams well. We have to steward our teams well. Yeah. Steward ourselves well. Yeah. So. So I think, um. I think we have to consider our entire schedule when we're deciding where to serve and who to serve and what. Mm-hmm. And what to do and how we're gonna serve in and through the kingdom. I think we have to take our entire schedules into, into consideration because service isn't just about, uh, what we do inside the four walls of the church. Right. Um, as I look at our lives now, um, regardless of where we are. We're serving someone. Right. You know, whether I'm at home, whether I'm at work, whether I'm at church, I'm, I'm serving. Mm-hmm. Because that's who he calls us to be. He calls us. Yeah. To, he, he's, he's really, I would say he, he blessed me. Uh, we're a servant's heart. Mm-hmm. And, and that's who we're called to be. Um, so regardless of where we're at, we're serving someone. So whether it be at home, work, or in ministry when considering to serve or to not to serve, to serve. Or not to serve? That is the question. We gotta, we gotta look at our arrest ratio to service. Oh yeah. So if we fail to consider that, uh, if we fail to consider our arrest to service ratio, then someone eventually is gonna get the ugly side of fatigue and frustration. Mm-hmm. And again, no one wants to serve with that person. No. And no one deserves that. Right. Especially from. A Christ follower, right? Uh, no. We don't want to be that person, and no one wants to serve with that person, and no one deserves to, to, no one deserves that. That backlash, that fatigue and frustration bring, um. Just because I decided to kill my margins and take on too much, you know, it's not their fault. Right. You know, that was my poor decision. Um, so we gotta take a step back. Mm-hmm. It's important to take a step back and, and consider the bigger picture before we take on that, that one more thing. So honestly, right now I'm not. I'm not taking on anything else. I, um, I'm full up and, and I know me well enough to know that, uh, uh, that I don't, I don't ever want to be that smiling on the outside.'cause I used to be that guy that mm-hmm. On the, the smiling on the outside, crying on the inside, uh, sort of guy. And, uh, but I was, uh, yeah. I just, I don't wanna be that guy and I, I don't want people. I don't wanna be that guy. Uh, I know what that guy looks like and I know how that guy acts, and that's just not who, uh, Christ, uh, created me to be. God created me to be that guy. Uh, he's not beneficial. Uh, to himself. He is not beneficial to his family. He is not beneficial to anyone. And he doesn't carry his mantle too well. You know, if you're, if you're, if you, if we, you, if you've been given a mantle to carry, we gotta make sure that we carry that mantle well. Yeah. We can't leave our mantle drag on the ground behind our fatigued selves. Right. And I've, and I've started to cut things out as well and I'm not taking on anything else new either. You know, I think the bottom line is that we have to reframe our definition of service. Hmm. One of the biggest mindset shifts in nurturing a servant's heart, which is that's the end in our invested Yeah. Framework is knowing that service is not about constantly doing Right. But it's about constantly becoming, becoming more like, like Jesus, becoming more tender. Right. Becoming more obedient. More dependent on the father. Mm. And that means sometimes your greatest act of service might not be a task at all, right? It might be choosing rest. Yeah. It might be listening to your spouse or your child. It might be saying no. So that someone else can say yes, that's right. I mean, if we say yes to everything, we're robbing someone else of the opportunity. Yeah. So that's why we have to be sure that what we are doing is what God has intended for us to do. Absolutely. You know, Martha was, we talked about Mary versus Martha before and, you know, and Luke 10:38, um, through 42, I think, um, you know, it talks about Martha. Being distracted with much service and Jesus gently correcting her. You know, Jesus cares more about our being with him than our doing for him. Right? And again. If we continue to do and do and do, not only are we gonna face burnout, but like I just said, we are going to rob someone else of the opportunity to serve and the capacity in which God has called them. Right. Right. And, and it's important to understand that he, he didn't chastise Martha. Right. He, he loved Mary, Mary and Martha equally. Mm-hmm. He loved them both. Yeah. Uh, they were dear friends of him. Mm-hmm. Of his And, uh, but, uh. But he gently, uh, corrected her. Yeah. And that, so, and you know, if, if we wanna nurture a sustainable servant's heart, not one that burns bright and fizzles fast, but we have to model our serving after Jesus, not after the expectations we or others place on us. Right. Jesus didn't serve from pressure. Yeah. He didn't serve from pressure. He served from intimacy with the father. Yeah. Um. He says, or Mark 6:31 says, come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. Jesus tells his disciples, and this invitation wasn't a reward after service. Right. It came after intense ministry and Jesus was telling his disciples, don't go pour out again until you come away with me first. Just as he would go away with his father. Right. And that's the blueprint. Right. And there was a, I want to step in on this. When there was a, there, there were, they were servants, they were his disciples. Mm-hmm. But this, this statement, uh, where he says, come, come and rest with me. That, yeah. John, um. John the Baptist was just beheaded. Mm-hmm. And they were mourning as well. Right. And so they were, they were pouring out. They had just lost John the Baptist. They were distraught. And, and Jesus, and Jesus was distraught. I mean, John the Baptist was his cousin. Right. So he is like, he's like, guys. Mm-hmm. Come on, man. Yeah. I, I get, I understand. I, I, I'm, I too. Um, let's take a break. Yeah. Let's go over here. Yeah. Let's chill out for a while. Yeah. All right, so let's work through this together. Yeah, so I would say that's, that's the blueprint is we serve from presence, not performance, which we've talked about before. Yeah. We serve from overflow, not obligation, and we serve from worship and not weariness. Serve from worship, not wariness. I like that. It's important. I'm very nice. How can we, how can we. Serve from weariness when everything that we No, we're certainly not gonna serve well. When? When, right. And when. Everything that we do is supposed to be to honor the Lord. Yeah. And to worship the Lord. Yeah. So we can't do it from a place of weariness. That's a blammo moment, you know? Yeah. I got another blammo. Wow. Lamo. Alright, so, so, uh, you know how I, uh, um, I like practical. I do. I am the, uh. The doctor of pragmatism. You got a PhD in pragmatism. Oh, wow. So let's talk a, uh, a, let's talk really practical for a minute. A servant's heart without healthy boundaries becomes bitter. Mm-hmm. I'm gonna say that again. Write this down. A servant's heart. And not if you're driving though, right? If you're driving, save it for later. Listen to this again later. Then write it down. All right. A servant's heart. Without healthy boundaries becomes bitter. Mm-hmm. Uh, that's not a, maybe that's a guarantee. Yeah. If we keep going and going and going, it's, it's, we're gonna be get bitter. Right. We're gonna burn out. Yeah. Uh, some folks may disagree with that, but, but boundaries are biblical. Yeah. Uh, Proverbs, uh, 4:23 says, uh, watch over your heart with all diligence. Mm-hmm. For. It flows. The springs of life. Yes. For from your heart flows, the springs of life. Um, that means it's your responsibility. It's our responsibility mm-hmm. To steward our emotional and spiritual reserves. Yeah. Not to pour'em out to we're bone dry. Uh, I recall a, um, a little recovery trick, um, that goes, uh, it's a little trick that goes a long way. Uh, and it's important because it's important to recognize. Uh, patterns in ourselves. Uh, and a good way to do that is, uh, called heart check. H-E-A-R-T I remember that. Heart check. Yeah. Uh, before we increase interactions, we should ask ourselves, are we hurting? Uh, or in my case, and maybe yours, are you hungry? You know, don't serve hungry. No. Uh, um, but, uh, are you hurting? Are you exhausted? Are you angry? Are you resentful? Are you. Are you tense? Mm. Uh, and if you are, then uh, then we do well to ask why and address our own why. Why are we any of these things before we go and take on that next big thing or that little thing before we take on one more thing. Anything, let's address that. Why? Yeah. You know, why are. Why are we out of sorts? Why are we not, why is our grateful heart not in line, uh, with our, with Christ? That's good, babe. I totally forgot about the heart. Check that, that's so good. But also, can we just normalize saying no without guilt? Hmm. Can we just normalize that please? Because a spirit led no is sometimes the most powerful Yes. To peace to family. Oh yeah. To intimacy with the Lord. Let's just normalize saying no. Yeah. But we have a few practic practical ways to refill your spirit when you feel like you're nearing burnout. Right? And we all know how Allen loves practical. He tells us in every episode how practical he is. Right? So I'm gonna say the first one is time with God first. Matthew 6:33. You know, go to that. Go to that verse if your calendar is full. But your prayer life is empty. You need to pause, right? That means you're too, if that means you're too busy for Jesus, and that's never a place where we wanna be, that's a tough place to be. You're too busy with for Jesus. You're too busy without him. I'm gonna say that again. If you're too busy for Jesus, you are too busy without him, right? So before you fill your schedule, fill your spirit, and that's where clarity comes from. Hmm. You know, spend that time with God the first, your first time in the morning. Spend it with him. Yeah. You'll thank yourself. Yeah. You really will. Yeah. I've been known for getting, uh, getting busy before checking in or, or, or spending time with the Lord. Mm-hmm. Uh, and I've had to check myself several times on that. Uh, by day and when I, when I, when I got too busy, when I, when I didn't pray into the day when I didn't mm-hmm. Uh, sit with the Lord first when I didn't take, take, uh, the word in first, uh, then my day certainly reflected that negligence Right? Uh, uh, days. Uh. They, because from, from Genesis to Revelation, God says me first. Right. And you know, he's, he's God. Yeah. So it's, it's a good idea to, uh, always a good idea to make, it's a command, it's to make him first and because he brings order into chaos. Yeah. Um, so, and when I neglected to do that, my days were chaotic. Uh, and they were, I was reactive and I was distracted and. Uh, but when I adjusted my non-negotiables and, uh, my mindset shifted as well, and my first non-negotiable for any Christ follower should be, you know, sitting with, sitting with him first. Mm-hmm. Uh, getting into the word first, uh, starting our days off like that. Yeah. Uh, it's funny how that works, but you know, again, our quiet time with him is vital. It's absolutely. Mm-hmm. Crucial for accomplishments excellence. Yeah. Because he is our excellence. Absolutely. So, so what's number two then? So give us number two. I'll give us number two. Yeah. Give us number two. So number two is, uh, Sabbath rhythm. Mm-hmm. So Exodus the Sabbath, very clear. And, uh, in Exodus 20, uh, uh, I think verse eight, uh, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Right. Uh, the Sabbath isn't just a law, it's a gift. Absolutely. Yes. The Sabbath Yes. Is a gift. Yeah. Uh, a rhythm of rest built for creation. Yeah. He built it right into the creation. He did. You know, our creator rested. Yeah. Uh, I mean. We're not meant to. We're grinding is good and you know, and we don't want it, like I said, uh, in another episode, we don't wanna demonize hustle. It's good to go, but it's not good to go to the point of burnout and you know, if Right. Uh, it's good. It's good to grind, but not 24 7. Yeah. Uh, not to the point where we can't grind. Right. Uh, anymore. Uh. We gotta remember, even our creator, even God rested on the seventh day. Yeah. So it's important to, to recall the Sabbath. Mm-hmm. Keep it holding. That's right. And Gary said, amen. Yes. And, and let me say this, to every high achieving, high achieving kingdom builder woman, and even men, but I, I wanna specifically talk to the women right now because that's who I deal with a lot with the Association of Christian Business women. Yep. So. Go for all of you Kingdom building women that are listening right now, I want you to know rest is not laziness. It's wisdom you'll never regret taking one day to breathe, be still, and be with God. Right. You will never regret it. And I tell you from experience, yeah. That when we do that, when we take that time, everything else comes into line to alignment so much. He gives us back the time. Yeah. That we've spent and things get done so much better and so much quicker. And I've seen it time and time again on the days that I, I jump up and I don't rest, and I don't take that time to be with him first. Nothing seems to align properly, but when I take time with him or when I take my rest with him. He makes up the time. Yeah. And it's so good. Absolutely. Yeah. So number three is delegate without Shame. And I know from firsthand that delegating can sometimes be very difficult because we can be such control, especially got a lot of people who were running businesses. Gotta let it go. Yeah. We can be in such control, even in, even in our homes. But you know, even Moses, hello Moses. You know, he tried to do it all until his father-in-law, Jethro, right? Called him up. And in a nutshell, Jethro said, what you're doing is not good, okay? You're gonna wear yourself out. This work is too heavy for you, right? You can't handle it alone. So we have to delegate. And not be shameful about it. Okay. I've had to delegate work in my business. Yeah. We've had to delegate work in our home. Yeah. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Yeah. And when you delegate, you're giving somebody else the opportunity to serve. Yeah. You're giving someone else the opportunity to do that's good, what they've been called to do. Right. Maybe you're hiring a housekeeper. I'm gonna tell you, that was one of the first things that, that we needed to delegate and, and. Didn't, uh, see eye to eye on it initially. Yeah. Um, I wanted to do it. Now was a long word for you. Allen was like, no. So I just kept praying, Lord, let him see that we need to delegate this. You're, you're going down a rabbit trail. I'm not really, because in all, because it all comes back to the fact that when, when we did hire someone to, to come in and clean our house every couple weeks, it gave them an opportunity to earn money. Yeah. It gave them an opportunity to serve and do what God has called them to do. Yeah. And it freed up some time here and it freed up the time for us to do what God has called us to do. Right. So don't ever be afraid to delegate. Yeah. So, and go back and read Exodus 18:17-23 about Moses. Yeah. Because I mean. Again, Jethro called him out on it. He did. You cannot. I think the, what really hit me there is you cannot handle it alone. Mm. That work is too heavy for you. You're not gonna do it alone. Ah, that's good advice. Yeah. Um, that, that hit me good. Yeah, because I, I needed, I needed to hear that, I needed to read, that I needed to see that's, that, that's biblical. Um, but God wasn't asking Moses to, to do everything right. You know, he was asking Moses to lead well. Amen. He was asking him to lead well because he's just,'cause he saw something in Moses that Moses didn't know about Moses. Mm-hmm. And he just, he and God empowered him to lead well. Yeah. Uh, but it, good leaders understand that delegation is an essential part of leadership. And that was a hard lesson for me to learn. I've been, I've been in leadership most of my life and for the, the early half of my life, I was doing it wrong, very wrong. But, uh, as I, as I learned how to do it better and how to improve on it, I discovered that delegation is an essential part of leadership. Yeah. So if you've bearing, if you've been carrying too much, if you're, if you're holding, you gotta. You gotta let it go. Let it go. It gotta release it. And that's why, that's why we train others. That's why we hire people for the right reasons. Yeah. Uh, so, so if you're carrying too much, breathe easy. Yeah. From the belly, from the diaphragm, from the, from the belly. It's funnier. From the belly. Anyway, step back and, and assess how you can share the load with your family or your team. It's biblical to share the load. Yeah. I mean, even Galatians 6:2 says, carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Right. You know, sometimes much most spiritual thing you can do is admit I'm tired. Yeah. I mean, you've said before, eat a sandwich and, and take a nap. But, you know, admit I'm tired. Find your people. Yeah. Your safe circle. Yeah. Uh, confess your exhaustion. Right. Cry if you need to. I've done that on numerous occasions. But don't isolate under, uh, don't isolate yourself under the weight of kingdom work. Right. Right. No man's an island exactly's. Man's an island. You know, don't be so, yeah. Don't, don't isolate isolation or we're, we're built for community. Yeah. So if, uh mm-hmm. If we're isolate, and then we're probably in a tough spot and we need to reach out to someone. Yeah. A brother or or a sister. Exactly. So, so talk it out. Talk it out. Talk it out. Um, practice receiving help. John four, I mean, let's not forget that. Chief, chief, are we on four or five? Practical? I think that's number five. Well, well, that's number five. Number five. Practice receiving help is number five because it kind of goes along with, um. Delegation delegating. But yeah, we gotta receive that help. But you do have to receive it. And you know Jesus, let's go back to Jesus sitting at the well and ask the Samaritan woman for water, oh, he received that water from a Samaritan woman, from a Samaritan woman. And if Jesus can allow someone else to serve him. Yeah. We can too. You know, you don't have to, as Allen said, you don't have to carry everything. Right. You weren't designed to carry everything. That's right. That's right. Yeah. Honestly, receiving help, uh, used to feel like weakness to me. Mm-hmm. Because I can do it. I got this. Right, right. Yeah. You know, too much of I got this leads to, whew, I ain't got this so truth. But, uh, um, uh. So it seemed like weakness to me, but in, uh, as I discovered and I, I started to embrace vulnerability in discovering, uh, better leadership qualities. Yeah. Uh, I was able to see it as a leadership strength. Yes. You know, so think about it, think about this. Um, is pride at the root of you wanting to do it all? Because I was, it, it was for me.'cause I was convinced that nobody could do it as, as well as I could. Yeah. But, uh, I go, it turns out that there's several people. That can in, in my reach, that can do it as well as I, I can actually train them to do it as well as, as I do. Mm-hmm. You know, and to, to meet my, uh, sometimes ridiculous expectations and the way reeling it back in. Um, so it, it takes humility. Yeah. Uh, so be careful with the pride you can remember, you know? Pride comes before the fall. Yes, it does. Duh duh. Humility invites community. Mm-hmm. Uh, humility invites community, which we were built for community. And uh, it settles our soul and it keeps pride in check. Yeah. And, and I, we can't be prideful and humble in the same. And the same one. We can't, uh, we can't worry, same as we can't worry and, uh, have faith, uh, at the same time. So pride comes before the fall. I just think, you know, if you're prideful and you're gonna hold it all hurt, hold onto all of it and you're gonna do it all yourself. Eventually you are gonna gonna fall. Fall, you're gonna fall out and you're gonna, there is be exhausted. You're just gonna fall out. Deductively speaking, of course. Yes, yes. Yeah. So as we're, uh, as we're starting to wind down here, um, here's a question that we want to leave you with today. Are you serving from a place of overflow or obligation? Take a breath, another breath. Be honest with yourself. Yeah, because your answer matters. Mm. Your honest answer. To yourself matters. Not just for your health, but for the health of those that you're called to love and lead. Yeah. And if your answer isn't what you hoped it would be, there's grace. Give yourself grace.'cause today's a good day to realign with Jesus. Absolutely. He's not looking for over-functioning Christians. He's looking for surrendered hearts. Yeah. So here's your challenge this week. Say no to something, say no to something that feels like pressure but isn't Purpose. Don't, don't become trapped in purpose. Right. I'm sorry. Don't become trapped in pressure. Become trapped in purpose. Yes. Right. Yeah. We, we want to be in our purpose. Yes. So say no to something that feels like pressure but isn't purpose. And say yes to intentional time with God. Even if it's just 10 minutes of quiet time with your Bible, the Holy Spirit and your coffee or your sweet tea. You know, either one, right? And then unsweet tea with a lime. Or unsweet tea with a lime. That'll work too. Now you know what we drink? Yeah. And, and journal through this prompt. Okay. Write this prompt down again, not if you're driving, but go back and listen to this. Yeah. Lord. What does nurturing a servant's heart look like in the season of my life? Wow. That's a good question. Go journal through that. Right. See what the Holy Spirit tells you. Right. And I like that. See what the Holy Spirit tells you. Yeah. Because it, it, it might start with what we think. Mm-hmm. But, you know, and then. Maybe we start with what we think and we write it down there. What, what do we think a nurture, uh, uh, nurturing a servant, a heart look like? And then ask the Lord what he has to say about that. Yeah. You know, it might start with us, but it shouldn't end with us. That's right. Right. So, and if you don't know if, if you don't know how to hear. From the Holy Spirit. I'm, I'm gonna urge you to go back to, I don't know which episode it was, two or three. We should know that before we throw that out there. Well, I'm just gonna say go back, put some back and listen to our earlier episodes. Yeah. Because we talk about that in our first season about hearing the word of God. We do, yeah. And next time we'll be more precise and we could put some guidelines in the show notes. So Yes, we can, we can put that in the show notes for you. Right. Um, so, or maybe. You just need to reach out to someone maybe, and don't hesitate to pick up that phone or make that call. You know, call a trusted friend, call a mentor. Mm-hmm. And just say, Hey, I think that I'm coming pretty close to running on empty. Yeah. It's important to be honest with ourselves and it's important to have that accountability circle. Um. Some guys call it a, a foxhole and, uh, Kyle Thompson calls it our foxhole friends. Mm. You know that those guys we can call at 3:00 AM mm-hmm. You know, and say, Hey man, I need some help, man. Yeah. And, uh, it's important to have those guys, uh, or gals. Or gals. Right, right. I have those gals too. Right. I just told someone the other day, I said, I'm, I'm gonna guys, gals with gals. Right. Gender specific here. Yes. Right. I just told one of my girls the other day, I said. Sister, I am your, I am your 3:00 AM sister. You can call me at 3:00 AM That is good. If you need me to come get you, I will come get you. That is good. Yeah, that is good. And just remember, you know, we're, we're not alone. It's so important in this day and age, and in any day and age to remember that we are not alone and the enemy of our souls works in isolation. Mm-hmm. He wants, he works best in isolation, but freedom lives in community's light. Yes. So, so let's wrap. Wrap this up with this truth one more time from Galatians 6:9. One more time. One more time. Let us not grill weary in doing good for in due season. We will reap if we do not give up. That's it. You don't have to strive. You don't have to hustle for God's approval. He already sees you. He already loves you. Yeah. And he invites you to rest with him before you serve for him? Absolutely. Because nurturing a, a servant's heart isn't about running harder. Right. It's about walking closer with him. Mm. Uh, so, so be honest with yourself and recognize when you need to retreat to refill and realign with his joyful renewal. Yeah. I'm gonna say that again. We have to recognize when we need to retreat to refill and realign to his joyful renewal. We gotta be honest with ourselves so that we're so that we're beneficial for the kingdom.'cause if we're burned out. We of no benefit to ourselves, that's right. To our family, to our teams, uh, to the ministry or for the kingdom. So we were created. We were not created to burn under pressure, but to bask in his glory as he leads us through his purposeful plan. So sit, take time. Mm-hmm. Stillness. Take time to be still and know to sit and listen. Before you rise and run. Oh, that's good. Take time to sit and listen before you rise and run. Mm-hmm. Be still and know that he is God. Yes. Alright folks. Well that wraps up this episode and next week we're talking about, we're still sticking with nurturing. We're still in season two. That's nurturing, nurturing the servant's heart. That's, that's it. Um, but next week we're talking about the joy of serving in secret. Oh yeah. Yes, I like it. I can't wait. And until then, stay faithfully invested and believe that God brings the increase. He certainly does. God bless you. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Thanks for joining us on Faithfully Invested with Allen and Stacy Jo, if today's conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or helped you see your calling more clearly, don't keep it to yourself. That's right. Share it with a friend. Leave a five star review and keep leaning into God's blueprint for your life, your leadership, and your legacy. So until next time, remember, when you invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase.