My boss told me on Monday she wouldn’t need me at the candy shop. With that extra twenty hours, I was pumped and looked forward to a productive week. I’d catch up on laundry, finish editing Chapter 6, and help my daughter spring clean before she’s back in school.
Then Tuesday rumbled in on a wave of food poisoning. It jolted Hannah and me awake around 2 a.m. Let’s just say our tummies rebelled. Enough said.
That one nasty, microscopic brat not only knocked me flat for a day, it rocked my world for a week. And that’s where I found myself the next Monday morning. Fighting a holistic assault on my mind, body, and spirit. After day one, my tummy was fine. But on day seven, I was still tired, chemically-altered, and biologically-challenged. My mind was a battlefield.
We are complex beings. Amazing and wonderfully created when you consider the network of systems that keep us ticking and breathing and thinking and feeling. Our body is also linked to our mind and spirit. It’s all connected. When one is off kilter they’re all in danger of derailing.
I hate being in that place. Where we’re simply tired of everything and everybody. Where we’re stuck and losing hope and tempted to settle. We’re tired of the mental battle. We want to give up and isolate ourselves, but we know we can’t. Digging out of discouragement is exhausting, isn’t it?
What do your thoughts say to you? Mine told me, “You can’t write this book. Quit. It’s too hard.” That’s when my inner rebel with her pit-bull determination fired back, “This is not a new fight. You’re done messing with my head. With God, I can do this.” As negative thoughts took a hike, I caught up on laundry, helped Hannah clean, and accomplished more in Chapter 6 than I had in weeks.
My friends, on your manic Mondays or Tuesdays or Sundays, invite Jesus into the middle of the mess. Into your fears, your worries, and your pain. His promises and presence will empower you.
Let’s not forget to talk to—and listen for—the One who made our own unique mix of moxie and weakness. Let’s pray until our thoughts are focused and read Scripture until our hearts are encouraged.
Be stubborn and have courage for your journey.
Photo from Pixabay.com
I love the way you say these things. I relate. 33 years of pastoring and many times of being sick but never missing a time behind His desk. His grace has always showed up just in time. Sometimes while the amazing body He crafted was in the worst of battle with the elements of life, His Spirit would connect the dots of scripture better than before. He is amazing.
Pastor Gary
Yes, He is amazing. Thanks, Gary.