I haven't felt like myself lately. But it's that time of year. You know, waiting for spring and thinking it's here, then getting blasted with another round of cold weather! I am so ready for warm weather! And I've also felt just tired. Kind of blah with the routine of things. Anyone else?
Parenting is the job that never quits until it ends, you know? I recently told Danya: You will always need your parents, but you will not always need to be parented. That's the goal, right? But currently, I am still on duty with my senior daughter and my 9th and 7th grade sons. This time of year, entering the last nine weeks of school and chomping at the bit for spring, I tend to begin feeling a bit of burn out.
What is burn out? Well, simply put, it is growing weary in doing good. And the apostle Paul wrote about it in Galatians 6:9.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV)My friend Kelly gave me a necklace recently with that verse on it. It was just what I needed. Take a look at this same verse from the Amplified Bible:
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. (AMP)
Yeah, you can get burned out when it comes to parenting, and just day-to-day living, for that matter. You can get tired of doing the right thing all the time. You can get tired of taking care of everyone and managing everything and you can get tired of being "on" all the time. But what are we encouraged to do? Hang on! Don't relax your courage; don't loosen your grip on the Lord. In other words, Don't let go! At the appointed time, the harvest is yours to reap!
What are some things you do to encourage yourself to keep going in the face of burn out? I was reminded Sunday of how the Israelites built altars of stones to remember the mighty things that the Lord had done in their lives. I've been thinking of some "altars" that I can erect around my home, just to serve as reminders of the Lord's constant, unfailing, never-giving-up kind of love and grace in my life. How about you?
3 comments:
Hi Rebecca,
This is a great post and a right on time word. I am not a parent but the platform God has placed me on allows me to be a spiritual mother to so many hurting women.
Over this past week, I started going back to the park just to let the spring breeze hit my face. Even when I am working on my book or receiving text from my social networking sites, I still feel at peace because I am in a place that I love- nature.
We must remember to keep our spirit energized so we can give our best to others. Have a blessed week.
Hi Sonja!
You are so right! We can't give from an empty vessel! This is a great idea--working in a peaceful environment definitely contributes to our peace of mind. And I am staring at a VERY cluttered desk right now! That mess just depletes my energy and leaves me feeling overwhelmed. Maybe a spring breeze will blow it all away... LOL!
I am the same way; I cannot work in a cluttered environment because it causes my thoughts to be cluttered. Sometimes that's all we need is to feel a cool breeze blow through our hair, the birds chirping or even the ducks playing the pond.
Yesterday was one of those blah feeling days and I found myself loading up my writing materials and driving to the park. I was immediately renewed!
It's time we get back to our special place that causes an automatic smile on our face. I will definitely stop by often and show support.
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