Proverbs 16:1-3 — The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

I am an over-committer. I don’t always know when enough is enough. There. I’ve said it. I’ve owned up to yet another character flaw. I’m working on it, but it’s difficult for me to say “no”. I’ve been wondering why it is. It seems there are practical, emotional and spiritual reasons, and I’ve decided to share them with you — just in case it helps!
Let’s talk about the practical stuff. That’s short and sweet. I’m not great at guessing how long stuff is going to take, and I’m optimistic about how much free time I’m going to have in the future.
Then there are the emotional issues (which are spiritual too). I have to admit, it makes me feel good when people want me to do something for them … and it makes me feel good when I get things done. The other thing is that I know there’s a corner of my heart where a little bit of insecurity lives. I know where it comes from, and it’s mostly dealt with, but every now and then it makes me suspect that people will think less of me if I turn down a request for help. Now I know those two emotional issues are a couple of spiritual wolves — pride and lack of faith — in disguise. They carry their own penalties, and I’m working on them!
The big spiritual issues that I want to talk about are the ones my three verses from Proverbs talk about.
The first issue is that no matter what I commit to, no matter what I plan, God is in charge! Even when I have prepared my heart, even when I am truly well-intentioned, the answer is God’s and He has plans that take priority over mine!
The second issue, highlighted in then second verse, is about that question of being “truly well-intentioned”. “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes”. Yes. It’s a rare person who intends evil, and knows it of himself. I can remember very few occasions when I have deliberately set out to do wrong! God, though, knows when I take on yet another task whether my motives are pure or whether — perhaps — there is a hint of selfishness, or pride or vanity.
The third issue that I must touch on is one of humility. “Commit thy works unto The Lord”. There is a challenge! Having taken on yet another “commitment ” trust to another — to The Lord, no less — to provide the means for its delivery.
So there it is. A whole catalog of reasons why I over-commit. Perhaps I should turn it into a checklist and run through it when new requests come along! Maybe you should too? Then maybe both of us will know when enough is enough!