I love Starbucks. I love the coffee. I love the pastries. One of my most favorite are coffee frappuccinos. I recently decided that since I liked the small size so much, why not try a large just to enjoy it all the more. Half way through the venti frapp, I came to appreciate the saying that there can be too much of a good thing. My good thing turned on me. No longer was I enjoying it, but was becoming rather sick in fact. As I stood over the trash can getting ready to throw out the remainder, it hit me that this was a good metaphor for many things in life. A good thing overdone can become the very thing that makes us ill.

There is a huge difference between doing something because we can and doing something because the anointing of God is on it. If we fail to follow PRECISELY where God’s anointing is, we can burnout in our human effort to do more than God has asked us to do. I have seen many people take their gifts and talents and push themselves beyond where God has asked them to go. The thinking goes something like this; “God has really blessed me in this area so I guess I need to work longer and harder and be blessed more!” Well maybe not. Maybe the blessing was truly on the smaller thing done well rather than the larger work done in chaos and burnout.

I am happy to report that I have returned to enjoying coffee frapps but I only order a small and enjoy it thoroughly without a desire for more.