Fixated on the fuel gauge

I have a very clear recollection of travelling in our cars as a kid. Wherever we went I was always, and I mean always, watching the fuel gauge. Watching, analysing, considering our options for how far we could go before vapours were our only fuel source? Wondering where we could next fuel up and calculating whether we could we actually make it that far?
I was it seems, pretty paranoid about the capacity of our fuel tank.

Now I leap forward a lot of years and I have realised the car fuel tank is not the one we should be most interested in...it is actually our own fuel tank.

I firmly believe that each of us has a capacity.
A level where we can each function well and keep on running our race.
There are always times and seasons where we run a little harder or a little empty, what I am talking here is our 'normal' or maybe 'average' capacity.
The trouble is that we don't realise many times there is an issue until we have run out of gas or are dangerously close to it. We have natural and spiritual gauges we can and should be watching.

The end of another year and the run into Christmas seems to do it for me.
It reminds me to look down at my Locky dashboard and just calculate my tank.
For me in the last few days, I have begun to look at the load I am carrying and I have begun to make some decisions for my journey. You see I want to make it to my destination. I don't want to run out of juice and be left on the side of the road.

The Bible encourages us to do some things around this issues:
To shake off whatever is hindering us
Do you need unload something that while it might be good, just might not be right for you to carry?
Maybe you have a habit, an issue or even a sin that just needs sorted because it is draining your tank?
To take onboard God's burden designed for your God given capacity
Jesus tells us to not wear any other burden (yoke) other than the one He has personally designed for us. Are you and I wearing the right one? Are we wearing someone else's because we want to impress? Are we wearing one at all?

Romans 12:2 says makes this call statement...
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

You and I need to throw off the patterns of the world and its expectations, values and business, otherwise we will indeed burn ourselves out.
If we don't we lose focus on what is important to God and to us.
It makes it harder to decide what we should and shouldn't do with our capacity.

"When we overdo with what God didn't ask us to do - we lose all our peace!"
Maybe you need to take a moment today - look down at your dashboard - reflect and then respond to what you are seeing?

Something to think about...