I'm Just Going to Close My Eyes for a Minute.

I’m Just Going to Close My Eyes for a Minute

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40: 31

I was just going to close my eyes for a few minutes and rest before I started writing. “Baby you ready to go to bed?” was the next thing I heard. The first full week back to school teaching had drained me. Early risings, 10 hour days at school, plus moving our son into his dorm the night before had wiped me out.  My physical body needed rest.

When I read Isaiah 40:29-31, I just want to bottle up the energy that God is offering and dip into it when I need a little extra boost on those bone weary days of life.

As women, many of us are tired. We are busy. We are overextended. We are overworked. We are weary. Spouses wear us out.  Littles wear us out. Adolescents wear us out. Aging parents wear us out. Our plates of responsibility are full and we keep adding more.

We are frantically seeking a solution to the exhaustion we feel. The quick fix of caffeine only lasts for a little while. Organization and planning only keep the plates we have spinning from falling for a brief moment until that unexpected plate is added.  We keep wanting to do more and feel energized while doing it, but we don’t. We are desperate for an unending supply of strength and energy.  “If I just close my eyes for a minute...then I can….”

God tells us strength does not come from within us. It comes from him. But, it’s not a magic potion to take when we are overwhelmed by all the things we have added to our agendas. It is a strength that comes through rest. Rest in a relationship that has grown over time.  A relationship built on trust in a God we know will to take care of our needs and the loved ones in our lives.  It comes from being in community with his people on a regular basis (Isaiah 58:13-14). It comes from doing life his way, not ours.

Does this mean that if I am walking with Jesus I will never be tired? Of course not, we are women after all. But, it does means I will have the strength to face what my day brings as well as the energy I need to complete the tasks he calls me to do as I follow him. The promise in Isaiah 40: 31 is “but they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”

When I start to get overwhelmed and tired, maybe I need to take a moment and look at the items on my to do list and see which ones are mine and which one are God’s. Maybe I need to say “no” to a few things, ask for help, or I might just need to take a nap. 

Things to Ponder: Feeling overloaded? Take some time to sit down with your schedule and have a conversation with God about what you are doing. Is there something you need to let go of? Is there something you need to ask for help with? Have you made space for him on a regular basis?
Maybe you need to take some time for yourself and rest today-maybe even take a nap.