Long before that, however, I’d sensed God telling me that something needed to go. I was involved in choir and worship team at church, attended a home Bible study and the ladies’ study group, in addition to being a mom and working as a freelance writer and editor. “You’re doing too much,” several friends had pointed out.

Norm’s health issues doubled as a last straw and a convenient excuse to slow down. I quickly sent the e-mail before I could change my mind. As it turned out, many in the group welcomed the break. I wasn’t the only one who needed one less thing on her weekly calendar.

How do you know when you’ve crossed the line from an active lifestyle to an overcommitted one? Does it take one “last straw” event or request? A crisis? An out-of-the-blue season of unexplainable dissatisfaction when activities suddenly feel like chores, when what used to be fun is just one more thing to rush to? Admit it: sometimes it’s freeing to be forced to cut back.

Interestingly, one of the wisest, most successful men in history, King Solomon, became disillusioned with his work. One day all of it felt like “a pursuit of the wind” (Eccl. 2:26). What drove him to that point? As we read on, it’s clear he eventually saw work as a gift from God to be enjoyed. How can we get back to that point? Perhaps only when we are willing to stop juggling more than we can handle.