Because of the busy lives many of us lead, its not hard to recognize ourselves in the over-extended situation of Moses in Exodus 18. As the sole judge for the masses, he was surrounded from morning until evening (v.13) by people who needed his help.
In fact, Ive had peopleparticularly young parentstell me that they identify with Moses. It seems that we need to learn two life skills for survival: an eagerness to listen (v.24) and the willingness to accept help (v.25). Sometimes we dont accept help because of pride, but thats not always the case.
With Moses, and often with us, its simply that life is moving so quickly and making so many demands on us (vv.13-15) that we barely have time to reactlet alone to contemplate or go to someone else for advice. Perhaps this is one reason the Scriptures remind us to surround ourselves with counselors who will offer their experience and wisdom even when were too busy to ask for it. We see this in the story of what Jethro did for Moses when he told his son-in-law to delegate some of his responsibilities (vv.17-23).
Dont be overwhelmed. Instead, seek godly counsel and then follow through on what you are told.