Have you ever been worn out? (Or "wore out" as some country song puts it.) "Wore out" reminds me of a song I heard in October at the 5 day Academy. The lyrics were changed to fit the ministry and being worn out through serving, along with some funny anecdotes.
I find that I can get worn out if I try to do things in my own strength. Meaning that I'm not relying on God or the Holy Spirit, but running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Maybe you haven't experienced that way of being worn out.
I can also get worn out if I don't get enough sleep. Sometimes, sleep deprivation is a normal part of life. Ask any parent of a newborn or a toddler. There are other stages in life that might produce sleep deprivation as well. Putting extenuating circumstances aside, we too often keep ourselves from getting enough sleep. Therefore, our bodies (and minds) are worn out.
I get worn out if I read too much. Seriously. My brain can only handle so much information. So, I have to balance my reading time with physical activity and/or rest time.
This week, it has been the dreaded allergies that have gotten me down. I woke up Tuesday morning with that feeling in the back of my throat and my voice sounded "froggy" and raspy. I could tell it was going to be a rough day. I called someone to let them know I would not be at TaeKwonDo at noon. I took it easy. I tried not to talk a whole lot. By the end of the day, I had no voice. Wednesday was about the same, but a little worse. It started moving down from the throat into the chest and lungs, just a little. I added another medicine on top of my normal allergy medicine to help with the congestion and coughing. I woke up this morning feeling lousy. So, I canceled my day so I could get some rest.
I don't like doing that, canceling my day. There was a time when I wouldn't have done it. I would have kept going, to the detriment of my own body. However, I am learning that it is important to listen to our bodies. When our bodies need rest, they let us know. It isn't always "good timing", but we must listen and obey.
There is a definite connection between our physical well-being and our spiritual well-beng. In her book, Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton is talking about Elijah from 1 Kings 19. She says: "he had the same blind spot I was beginning to acknowledge in myself: he had let himself become so run down that God had to send an angel to strengthen his body before they could deal with anything else." (79)
She later says this: "Our bodies have much to tell us if we could only figure out how to listen. In fact, oftentimes God speaks to us through our body. Most times, our body is the first to know if we are overcommitted, stressed, uneasy or joyful, and when we need to attend to something that is causing us pain or disease." (85)
Today, living well meant resting and allowing my body to heal. In his book The Life You've Always Wanted: spiritual disciplines for ordinary people, John Ortberg defines a spiritual discipline as: "any activity that can help me gain power to live life as Jesus taught and modeled it." (48) He goes on to talk about the importance of sleep and rest, saying in conclusion: "For some of you reading this book, perhaps the single most spiritual thing you could do right now is to put it down and take a nap." (50) I love it! Taking a nap as a spiritual discipline. :)
Well, even though I've only been up a handful of hours, I'm beginning to feel worn down again. It's time for me to exercise the spiritual discipline of resting my body.
May you learn to listen to your body and take plenty of rest breaks along the journey,
~Debra
PS- Just for fun, here are the original lyrics to "Wore Out" by Jake Hess and a link to a YouTube video with clear audio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXYGOoc0RxQ
You come home at night sit down for a bite
And you're wore out (wore out)
You're hardly able to get up from the table
'Cause you're wore out (wore out)
You crawl into bed sleep like you're dead
'Cause you're wore out (wore out)
In the morning you wake up can't seem to get up
'Cause you're wore out
When we get to heaven with jesus our king
We won't have to worry about any thing
We'll be happy and free
And our bodies won't be (wore out)
You get up on sunday dread to see monday
'Cause you're wore out (wore out)
You go sit in church your back starts to hurt
'Cause you're wore out (wore out)
The choir starts to sing but you can't feel a thing
'Cause you're wore out (wore out)
You pray the sermon and psalm won't last too long
'Cause you're wore out
When we get to heaven with jesus our king
We won't have to worry about any thing
We'll be happy and free
And our bodies won't be (wore out)
You go for a drive in the car with your wife
And it's wore out (the car that is)
She starts to worry tells you not to hurry
'Cause it's wore out (oooh - oh - oh)
You don't know where you're at one of the tires has gone flat
'Cause it's wore out (oooh - oh - oh)
From the sound of the motor we'll soon have to tow her
'Cause she's wore out (oooh - oh - oh)
When we get to heaven with jesus our king
We won't have to worry about any thing
We'll be happy and free
Nothing there will ever be (wore out)
We'll be happy and free
Nothing there will ever be (wore out)
No comments:
Post a Comment